Rowan Joffe, son of Oscar-nominated film-maker Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields, The Mission), makes an auspicious directorial debut with this new adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel.
John Boulting’s 1947 adaptation of Brighton Rock is one of the classics of British cinema, providing Richard Attenborough with a signature role as razor-wielding teenager, Pinkie Brown.
Anyone who dares to trample over the memory of that film does so at his peril.
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Joffe resets the action to the mid 1960s, using riots on the south coast between the Mods and the Rockers as a vivid backdrop for a stylish tale of murder and betrayal.
The writer-director marshals an excellent ensemble cast of home-grown talent, including rising stars Sam Riley and Andrea Riseborough to the ever reliable Helen Mirren and John Hurt.
Brighton Rock lacks the intensity and menace of the 1947 version but Joffe shows promise behind the camera, effectively capturing the period detail.
Riley is a rare talent, as his portrayal of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis in Control proved, but he cuts a tragic figure here and doesn’t bristle with the tightly coiled rage we expect from his thug-in-waiting.
Devout fans of the original version should think twice about the remake but new audiences will find their pulses race as the maelstrom of emotions explodes with devastating repercussions.
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