Review of Welcome to the Punch (2013) by Hoops2448 — 24 Apr 2013

A good British action film is hard to come by, one that emulates and builds on old school action directors like John Woo and John McTiernan is even harder. Welcome to the Punch is that film and because of that it is delightful.

The film follows the events that happen when lifelong criminal Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) returns to Britain to investigate why his son has been attacked. While there he must contend with disenfranchised police officer Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy), someone Sternwood wounded years prior following one of his final heists.

Welcome to the Punch isn't the most intelligent action thriller, in fact it can play quite predictable for a majority of its run time. It's not a film that tries to shock but it does try to impress in its writing (mostly successfully) and its performances (entirely successful), but most importantly the direction by Eran Creevy.

The action in the film is sublime with an empty nightclub shootout being one of the finest gunfights since heat. The attention to detail is wonderful which adds a sense of realism to the action. Although John Woo Slow-Mo is used it never really feels out of place and gives the film a Max Payne Noir feel (the game not the film, never the film).

Then again the film isn't all action, it's firmly placed in the thriller category as well as the film has an excellent sense of pace allowing for emotional moments as well as some very fast paced developments.

It's a film that constantly shifts gears and because of that it is never boring and overall it manages to fit in enough great action moments to be a great movie.