Like flat soda, Rowan Joffe’s “Brighton Rock” has a definite taste, but is missing ice. Hard-boiled and gritty to the max, the remake, inspired by the film and book of the same name, has its moments, thanks to veteran performances by John Hurt and Helen Mirren and young upstarts Sam Riley and Andrea Riseborough, but is hurt by dreadful pacing and a climax that fails to knock the audience out.
The end result is a sometimes-entertaining noir-gangster film whose trigger jams at all the wrong times.
The fact that Pinky (Riley) goes from a coward to a cold-blooded killer in a matter of minutes hurts the film immensely. Coming off as more of a brat than a cold-blooded villain, it’s hard to take him seriously in the role, regardless of his morose facial expressions and badass demeanor throughout the film. He tries hard, but the way the character is written, any actor would have had a difficult time making him as sinister as he needed to be.
On top of that, it’s confusing at times to gauge his emotions. At times, it feels as if he’s fallen for Rose (Riseborough), to only resort to his manipulation seconds later. Even with his fellow gangsters, his emotions are shrouded in mystery. Had his feelings been a little clearer to at least the audience, the film would have had more of a purpose.
As it stands, Pinky seems like a lost soul swimming in a fish bowl.
The same thing can be said of Riseborough’s character, but in her case, it works perfectly. Beautiful and naïve, there’s an innocence and purity that drives the film and is the film’s only real redeeming quality aside from the solid supporting spots by Hurt and Mirren. Perhaps the entire point was to contrast both of these characters’ purity and how they are forever changed by a single moment.
It’s impossible to know that however, as the final act seems to change pace entirely, as all the loose ends are tied up and our lovely Rose is left to ponder what could have been.
Regardless of the uneven story, behind the quality acting and beautiful cinematography, the film isn’t a complete loss. Joffe is an undeniable talent and worth keeping an eye on. However, the film itself isn’t better than the sum of its parts. Tighter editing could have sped up the pace and saved the film from a mediocre fate, but overall, it’s not savvy enough to fix its self-imposed scars.
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