Review of London to Brighton (2006) by Chan T — 24 Jun 2007

It's 3:07am and two girls burst into a run down London toilet. Joanne is crying her eyes out and her clothing is ripped. Kelly's face is bruised and starting to swell.

Duncan Allen lies in his bathroom bleeding to death. Duncan's son, Stuart, has found his father and wants answers. Derek, Kelly's pimp, needs to find Kelly or it will be him who pays.

Kelly and Joanne need to get through the next 24 hours alive...

From the the good reviews and the hype this film received on it's initial release, I was expecting a lot from London To Brighton, and it delivered the goods as promised. Wiiliams has proved to be one of the directors of the future to watch, and is even given Shane Meadows a run for his money. the outline of the film is simple, revenge.

But it's the execution of the film and the bond between Kelly and Joanne that really hold it together. the fact that Kelly is so protective over Joanne shows us that she may be a prostitute, but she has maternal instincts over someone she barely knows, especially for a girl who smokes, lives rough and swears like Gordon Ramsey. Maybe Kelly can see her younger self in Joanne, and doesn't want her to end up the way she has.

But it's the females who dominate the movie, as the men are basically typecast gangsters and villains, who do what they say and say what they do, but they are convincing also in their respective roles.

Camera-work gives a grim depiction of London, whereas films such as Notting Hill give the capital a sugar coated feel to it. this London isn't nice. it's certainly not the film to watch if you are planning a trip there. Brighton on the other hand is shown in an optimistic way at the beginning of the second act, maybe indicating that the two heroines have escaped their reality.

The ending though isn't much of a surprise, but while some will be sighing with relief, one would not class the ending as happy. one of the finest British films of the decade, showing that we have talent still here and not relying on millions of dollars to get attention.