The British gangster movie is alive and well, thanks to the efforts of Guy Ritchie and Jonathan Glazer. If
The Departed screenwriter doesn't quite reach the quality of those filmmakers on his directorial debut, he gets an A for effort. The super-stylish tale of an ex-con (Colin Farrell) who tries and fails to live the straight life playing minder to a reclusive movie star (Keira Knightley) is lifted immeasurably by great work of its leads and support (Ray Winstone, David Thewlis, Ben Chaplin), while a killer soundtrack (Yardbirds, Stones, Kasabian) and gorgeous cinematography makes London itself the real star of the show. Almost scuppered by a few too many subplots that go nowhere and a few key scenes that deserve an extra beat or two, the terrific pace threatens to steer the film into comedic territory. Whatever, it's damn entertaining stuff.
