Review of London Boulevard (2010) by Philip P — 23 Feb 2012

William Monahan is mainly known for his writing, whether it be for the Academy award winning "The Departed" or that underrated Mel Gibson thriller "The Edge of Darkness" but either way his past projects certinly give an indication of where his directorial debut "London Boulevard" would be headed.

Featuring an in sync Colin Farrell and the always chilling and frequent Monahan collaborator Ray Winstone facing off against one another and Kiera Knightley as eye candy, Monahan has crafted an underground crime drama that feels like Guy Ritchie light.

The plot strands are numerous and it doesn't all add up to much that always makes sense but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. The dialogue (Monahan also penned the script here as well) is quick and witty and the tone is about pitch perfect as Monahan relies heavily on a soundtrack to set his mood.

Though this is nothing new and certainly something you've seen before it all ends up feeling like a lovely mess. The story centers around an ex con (Farrell0 trying to make a fresh start and ends up doing so by starting a romance with a reclusive actress (Knightley).

That is just scratching the surface as you can imagine that other gangsters want Farell's Mitchell in their crew as he is certainly good at what he does, but yearns to leave that behind. There are moments that feel tepid and certain sections where scenes feel strung together with no consistency, but I'll give Monahan a break as thisis his first go around with his hands on all the buttons.

Plus, if you've been missing these British gangster dramas while Ritchie's been occupied with "Sherlock Holmes" this is a welcome distraction and will do fine for the time being.