Review of Stormy Monday (1988) by Gabriel K — 05 Aug 2013

The directorial debut of Mike Figgis, who before he'd moved into the world of cinema, had been a musician, working with the likes of Bryan Ferry and performing in the experimental group People Show.

Figgis was able to raise the money for this, and even for a debut feature, got very lucky, and was able to get two top Hollywood actors cast. It's a dark noirish thriller which owes more than a debt of gratitude to Get Carter (1971), but it's still a very powerful film.

In Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Brendan (Sean Bean) get a job in The Key Club, owned by gangster Finney (Sting), who is looking to leave the criminal underworld behind and do legitimate, legal work in the world, but he's threatened not to back out, especially because there's a party of visiting Americans in town, led by Cosmo (Tommy Lee Jones), whose girlfriend Kate (Melanie Griffith) is used to seduce investors in Newcastle for a redevelopment plan Cosmo is behind.

Things get complicated when Brendan and Kate fall in love, while Finney is the only man standing in the way of Cosmo's redevelopment plans, and Cosmo won't take no for an answer. It's a dark love story, a four way character piece with each character playing off one another, betraying one another.

Figgis gets the best out of his cast, and it has some good cinematography by Roger Deakins, and it shows off Newcastle well.