David O'ConnellThe chilling ride from London to Brighton
August 5th 2008 03:05
British crime films have been deteriorating in quality since Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels with so many poor imitations in its wake. Thankfully, something like London to Brighton comes along to restore the faith - a raw, gripping film, very much grounded in reality, whilst painfully confronting the taboo topic of underage prostitution. It also happens to be a brilliant piece of work, a thoroughly gripping, suspenseful ride at the same time.
Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, it tells the parallel stories of a prostitute and a young girl on the run in the aftermath of violence in a wealthy pedophile’s home, with that of the pimp trying to track them down for his vicious client, the pedophile’s son who’s out for retribution.
The prostitute is Kelly (Lorraine Stanley) and she’s been beaten but flees London with 12 year old Joanne (Georgia Groome) in tow, having reluctantly placed her in harm’s way for her pimp Derek (Johnny Harris). Together they board a train to Brighton to escape the revenge they know will be sought.
We don’t exactly know what’s happened yet, but interspersed flashbacks throughout the film gradually complete the picture for us as the threads of the past and present finally come together in a nail-biting climax.
Derek and his offsider are given the task of tracking the pair down, with his threatened life at stake thanks to Stuart Allen (Sam Spruell), a man who wields the power to cause immense destruction and who’ll take any means necessary to save the reputation of his father Duncan (Alexander Morton).
Stuart is an intense and frightening creation with an aura of potential violence hovering over him, and the scene in which he wounds Derek before sending him on his way is a stark example of what might happen later in the film.
London to Brighton is gritty and compelling viewing; it doesn’t pull any punches at all in depicting the wretched turmoil of its characters lives as they spiral towards the violent resolution we know is inevitable. But Williams’ screenplay still keeps us guessing to the end as to who will live and who will die.
There's inner turmoil for each of the main characters but you sense their powerless to act any other way at times, dragged into the seedy foundations of their desperate lives, having to throw their moral compasses to the wind.
The cast of unknowns is brilliant, with special recognition due to young Georgia Groome in the role of the young girl surviving on the streets against the odds before being dragged into a depraved world that someone well beyond her years shouldn’t even have to guess at.
This superb 2006 drama fully restores my faith in British crime for now, it delivers on every level and I have no hesitation in declaring it a truly must see film.
Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, it tells the parallel stories of a prostitute and a young girl on the run in the aftermath of violence in a wealthy pedophile’s home, with that of the pimp trying to track them down for his vicious client, the pedophile’s son who’s out for retribution.
The prostitute is Kelly (Lorraine Stanley) and she’s been beaten but flees London with 12 year old Joanne (Georgia Groome) in tow, having reluctantly placed her in harm’s way for her pimp Derek (Johnny Harris). Together they board a train to Brighton to escape the revenge they know will be sought.
We don’t exactly know what’s happened yet, but interspersed flashbacks throughout the film gradually complete the picture for us as the threads of the past and present finally come together in a nail-biting climax.
Derek and his offsider are given the task of tracking the pair down, with his threatened life at stake thanks to Stuart Allen (Sam Spruell), a man who wields the power to cause immense destruction and who’ll take any means necessary to save the reputation of his father Duncan (Alexander Morton).
Young Georgia Groome is exceptional as Joanne
Stuart is an intense and frightening creation with an aura of potential violence hovering over him, and the scene in which he wounds Derek before sending him on his way is a stark example of what might happen later in the film.
London to Brighton is gritty and compelling viewing; it doesn’t pull any punches at all in depicting the wretched turmoil of its characters lives as they spiral towards the violent resolution we know is inevitable. But Williams’ screenplay still keeps us guessing to the end as to who will live and who will die.
There's inner turmoil for each of the main characters but you sense their powerless to act any other way at times, dragged into the seedy foundations of their desperate lives, having to throw their moral compasses to the wind.
The cast of unknowns is brilliant, with special recognition due to young Georgia Groome in the role of the young girl surviving on the streets against the odds before being dragged into a depraved world that someone well beyond her years shouldn’t even have to guess at.
This superb 2006 drama fully restores my faith in British crime for now, it delivers on every level and I have no hesitation in declaring it a truly must see film.
Kelly and Joanne enter the lair
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Can you HACK it?
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I've been wanting to see this since Cib did a review. So far, each time I've gone to the shop it's been out. I'm going to try again soon.
Great review.
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