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No frills English drama/thriller that immerses itself in the underbelly of society from the very outset and never really bothers to come up for air. That the central characters are a tart, a runaway, a pimp and a gangster respectively should be enough to inform that this is not going to be a film about sweetness and light and it certainly doesn't lie.
Most of the talk in terms of acting in this film was about Georgia Groome who plays the underage runaway and it has to be said she does put in a good shift for the most part (only really showing her lack of experience when it comes to one or two more dramatic scenes) but for me that sadly meant less was said about the performance of Lorraine Stanley who imo perfectly embodies her character the prostitute and knocked it out of the park here (she did at least deservedly win the Critics Circle Actress of the Year award) . I should also add that Johnny Harris also performs well as her pimp.
That the subject matter is seedy should come as no surprise given the roles being played and it is to the film's credit that it manages to create such a pervasive air of grime and desperation even though visually it is actually quite tame and reserved. The script is down-to-earth and realistic in the main whilst the camerawork is suitably unshowy and the use of flashbacks to slowly reveal what even the average viewer should have already worked out has transpired is actually done quite well and is not as redundant as it may sound.
It's not a film to be brought out and aired at parties that's for sure but it is both gritty and realistic and worth a viewing as long as you don't mind stepping into the gutter for a while.
London To Brighton (2006) - Paul Andrew Williams - +
No frills English drama/thriller that immerses itself in the underbelly of society from the very outset and never really bothers to come up for air. That the central characters are a tart, a runaway, a pimp and a gangster respectively should be enough to inform that this is not going to be a film about sweetness and light and it certainly doesn't lie.
Most of the talk in terms of acting in this film was about Georgia Groome who plays the underage runaway and it has to be said she does put in a good shift for the most part (only really showing her lack of experience when it comes to one or two more dramatic scenes) but for me that sadly meant less was said about the performance of Lorraine Stanley who imo perfectly embodies her character the prostitute and knocked it out of the park here (she did at least deservedly win the Critics Circle Actress of the Year award) . I should also add that Johnny Harris also performs well as her pimp.
That the subject matter is seedy should come as no surprise given the roles being played and it is to the film's credit that it manages to create such a pervasive air of grime and desperation even though visually it is actually quite tame and reserved. The script is down-to-earth and realistic in the main whilst the camerawork is suitably unshowy and the use of flashbacks to slowly reveal what even the average viewer should have already worked out has transpired is actually done quite well and is not as redundant as it may sound.
It's not a film to be brought out and aired at parties that's for sure but it is both gritty and realistic and worth a viewing as long as you don't mind stepping into the gutter for a while.