LONDON BOULEVARD

     COLIN FARRELL  KEIRA KNIGHTLEY  RAY WINSTONE  BEN CHAPLIN

MITCHELL (FARRELL) HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED FROM JAIL.  HE IS PICKED UP BY BILLY (CHAPLIN) A FRIEND AND A SMALL TIME HOOD.  BILLY WORKS FOR THE LOCAL GANGSTER GANT (WINSTONE), AND BILLY IMMEDIATELY TRIES TO GET MITCHELL INVOLVED WITH GANT.  BUT MITCHELL WANTS TO GO STRAIGHT, AND ONE NIGHT FINDS OUT ABOUT A JOB AS A CARETAKER FOR RECLUSIVE ACTRESS CHARLOTTE (KNIGHTLEY).  HOWEVER, GANT STARTS PRESSURING MITCHELL TO COME WORK FOR HIM, AND WE FIND OUT HOW MITCHELL RESOLVES THIS PROBLEM.
WITH THIS CAST I WAS EXPECTING MORE FROM THIS MOVIE.  THE ACTING IS OKAY: WINSTONE IS MENACING AS GANT, CHAPLIN'S BILLY IS THE PROPER AMOUNT OF GREASY, FARRELL MAKES MITCHELL TOUGH AND CARING, ALTHOUGH I HAD A HARD TIME BELIEVING THAT MITCHELL WOULDN'T COME OUT OF PRISON A LOT MORE JADED THAN HE WAS AND KNIGHTLEY MADE CHARLOTTE SEEM BELIEVABLE.  MY MAJOR COMPLAINT IS WITH THE WRITING: THERE ARE QUITE A FEW HOLES IN THE STORY, THERE ARE CHARACTERS WHO COME AND GO WITH NO REAL REASON TO BE THERE OR ADD TO THE STORY AND AS I SAID WITH MITCHELL, SOME OF THE CHARACTERS DON'T RING TOO TRUE.  I ALSO FOUND THE ENDING TO BE A LET DOWN, ALMOST LIKE IT WAS DONE JUST TO END THE MOVIE WITHOUT ANY IDEA OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED BEFORE. 
I THOUGHT THE PHOTOGRAPHY WAS WELL DONE, SHOWING LONDON ALMOST TO THE POINT OF IT BEING ANOTHER CHARACTER IN THE MOVIE.  I THINK THE DIRECTOR WAS TRYING FOR A 1960'S FILM FEEL TO THIS MOVIE AND HE GOT IT ABOUT HALF RIGHT.
I WILL RECOMMEND, BUT WITH SOME RESERVATIONS.
RATING  2.5 out of 5