Review of Welcome to the Punch (2013) by Ellis W — 29 Jan 2014

Visual style versus in-depth character development - a common friction that we see in many films these days, with the resulting clash degrading the finished film which generally ends up having too much or too little of either. But is it actually necessary to have a great insight into the characters of a film with their background stories being told to us in such complexity in order to create a solid piece of cinema? Welcome to the Punch has by no means overly complex or mysterious characters, but it is one incredibly sleek looking drama.

The film is a crime drama set in London. Detective Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy) has been on the hunt for years for his criminal nemesis Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) and upon Sternwood's decision to come out of hiding to aid his son, Lewinsky has the perfect chance to bring in the man he has been chasing most of his life. As you may expect, Lewinsky discovers that some bigger conspiracy is underfoot and begins to wonder who in his police force he can really trust.

The narrative of this film is noticeably similar to other previous crime thriller works, and although the film strives to be as unique as it.

Lewinski (James McAvoy) gets the drop on Sternwood (Mark Strong), and they both look slick as hell.

Can the story arc does unfold in an expected manor as the film progresses. Yet having said this, the plot of Welcome to the Punch has much complexity to it; a lot of facts, perspectives and characters are presented to the viewer with a rather confusing methodology, and despite reaching a suitable explanatory end, a certain degree of uncertainty will remain with you up until the climax. This is not an entirely negative faction of the film, as it can be good to have action dramas with real meaning behind the violence.

The cast of this film are incredibly appealing and feel suitably well cast for their roles. Mark Strong has always had a way with portraying antagonists, and he plays more than just your average London underworld criminal in Welcome to the Punch. Granted, he is an intelligent and knowledgeable crime figure, but also has family ties, with a sense of moral justice, which seems even more likeable in a villain than it does a protagonist. Then of course we have Charles Xavier himself, James McAvoy, who makes good work of the basic police detective character he's given. As said earlier, the film is not heavy on character development, all we're given is a detective who got humiliated by a notorious criminal several years back, and now has a strong burning drive to bring him in. McAvoy certainly seems like he's having the time of his life in this, and maintains a gritty and driven persona throughout. Strong provides a good rival for McAvoy, yes he may be on the other side of the law, but still generates the feel that he is morally sound.

The film's unique aesthetic, settings and set pieces are what truly drive the film away from being a clichéd bore. It's good to see London looking like a sleek, modern and urbanised environment, with gorgeous and vibrant lighting effects. Overall, the film just looks and feels glossy, with slick and professional action which does not get thrown gratuitously at us, with some notably slow-motion sequences mirroring those featured in Dredd 3D (2012), though without the self-satire and dead-pan humour. In several ways this is what makes Welcome to the Punch slightly different to some police dramas - its lack of characterisations and muddled plot elements are slight issues, but they are overcome by strong performances from its cast, and visual style and punchy direction that can rival many bombastic, simplistic and brainless action flicks.