Review of Welcome to the Punch (2013) by Jesse O — 25 Jul 2013

I thought this would have been a better than expected cop movie if not due to the fact that the story is a convoluted mess. They choose to complicate the story with it revolving around a 'government' conspiracy to help a politician win an election and to ensure police officers are armed with better equipment to protect themselves.

It sounds simple enough when I explain it, but the execution really does leave a lot to be desired and it muddles the original point of Lewinsky going after Sternwood who, in a way, crippled him. Perhaps they found this to be generic and found the idea of Sternwood and Lewinsky working together to uncover an even bigger conspiracy, that makes their little 'feud' seem petty at best, even more enticing.

Unfortunately, this conspiracy is also fairly generic and, as mentioned, convoluted as all hell. Which is a shame too because the cast is really strong, even if the characters themselves could use a little more work.

I thought the action scenes were good and stylish, so no problem there. And the film, generally, looks very stylish...almost futuristic in a sense. It's not that sci-fi futuristic with flying cars and other tropes, but the movie does look like it could be set in the very near future.

I thought that also added a lot to the film. Mark Strong and James McAvoy are the highlights of the film. And easily too, since the movie devotes most of the time to them, and they deliver. Mark Strong has incredible presence.

Even if the role is minor, he adds an air of respectability just by showing up. And on top of that, the guy is a great actor so that's just the icing on the cake. It's just a shame that the film doesn't really highlight his, and McAvoy's, talents better.

And McAvoy is also charismatic and he has a charm about him that makes him instantly likable, no matter what role he's in. Again it's just a shame their talents are misused by the convoluted script and their poorly developed characters.

Still, even with all the faults, I think this is a good movie. One that could've used some more improvement before it was released, but a good movie nonetheless.