Brighton Rock (2010)

Directed by: Rowan Joffe | 111 minutes | crime, drama, thriller | Actors: Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough, Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Philip Davis, Nonso Anozie, Craig Parkinson, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, Geoff Bell, Steven Robertson, Maurice Roëves, Steve Evets, Francis Magee, Adrian Schiller, Pauline Melville, Mona Goodwin

It’s a shame that Rowan Joffe’s feature directorial debut has been so anonymously thrown onto DVD, because this film deserves better. ‘Brighton Rock’ isn’t easy, but the movie viewer looking for a hard-hitting movie with substance won’t feel disappointed.

Brighton Rock is set in the bleak British seaside town of Brighton. The year is 1964. The prospects are not favorable for the gangster Pinkie (Sam Riley). The gangster yearns for respect, but doesn’t get it. His quest for happiness degenerates into a lot of misery.

Joffe based his debut on the 1938 novel of the same name by Graham Greene. His version of ‘Brighton Rock’, however, is set in 1964. Joffe sometimes manages to capture the zeitgeist beautifully, although he sometimes falls out of his role and you can’t really tell in which period the story takes place. That is not bothersome, but sometimes the film looks very timeless and you wonder why Joffe chose the 60s.

The great strength of ‘Brighton Rock’ is the atmosphere. The desolate ambiance and the gloomy soundtrack create an uneasy atmosphere. You just feel that this movie can’t end well. The characters aren’t very likable either. Pinkie, in particular, turns out to be an unscrupulous sociopath. After his rock-solid portrayal of the tormented Joy Division singer Ian Curtis (seen in Anton Corbijn’s directorial debut ‘Control’), Riley proves that he knows how to deal with damaged people. The acting is captivating and very strong.

Greene’s novel was made into a film by John Boulting in 1947. Then a very young David Attenborough played the part of Pinkie. Although the basic story has remained the same, Joffe has given it his own twist. Both films can stand on their own two feet. Fans of inky crime movies with a dash of drama should definitely check out Joffe’s version (and Boulding’s original).