Review of Welcome to the Punch (2013) by Gman H — 02 Apr 2013

Bullet To The Leg.

Mark Strong and James McAvoy, have recently became somewhat bigger than their modest beginning, in Welcome To The Punch they return home to England for a crime thriller that can run with the best of them. The reel question is will this Welcome To The Punch be First Class or just A Game OF Shadows?

When a cop disobeys orders and pursues a dangerous criminal he pays the price with a bullet to the leg, the villain escapes to another country but when his son is in danger, he has no choice but to return.

Ok I admit it, I'm bias, I'm British, I like Mark Strong, I love James McAvoy and I'll watch a film just because Eddie Marson is in it, but none of that is important because Welcome To The Punch is a great movie is it's own rights, even without my fanboyisum, I still would have liked the film. Let me explain why.

Some movies just work, they click and are kinetic, they are films that can have a runtime for hours and you never feel it, this is the kind of movie that Welcome To The Punch has, it's a film that's been streamlined but it doesn't feel like it the twist and turns are a little bit obvious and if you have seen any crime thrillers of the same nature before then you won't see anything new here, but that doesn't really matter because this is the sort of movie you will watch, just to see it.

Welcome To The Punch does have a downfall or two, I think the sub plot about gun crimes and if police should be armed is well judged for the current climate but perhaps a little bit too confusing for the rest of the movie, but then I like how writer, director Eran Creevy actually tires to say something about the world he lives in, perhaps it's not completely successful but at least he is trying to tackle a major and serious issue and problem in our society.

It's almost tradition that a film like Welcome To The Punch should have some moment of black humour and this is no different, I'm still trying to work out if they work or not but I think they are used to be part of the world where the film is set and give the characters just a touch more depth than if it was left out.

I think one of Welcome To The Punch's major strength's is that the world in which the movie is set feels like it's been lived in, there are already relationships that have been built up over time when we enter the film, I like that, it gives everything more depth.

The lead actors are of course incredible with McAoy bringing subtleness and peace to a role that could be only anger, supported as he is by Strong the pair make for gripping viewing, given that they are also supported by talent the likes of Eddie Marson, David Morrissey, Andrea Riseborough, Peter Mullan and Daniel Mays you start to see how impressive Welcome To The Punch really is.

Welcome To The Punch is an action thriller like it should be, lean, crisp and cool. The performances keep it strong while the story keeps it fighting.