What could have been a superb reimagining of Graham Greene’s crime story instead falls to pieces thanks to a flat and uninspired performance by Sam Riley, who plays the part of an ambitious young gangster attempting to keep a low-profile while preventing the girl infatuated with him from discovering his darker side. Greene’s novel and the original 1947 film adaptation painted a portrait of a young man in turmoil, unprepared for the life he so desperately wants to pursue. Director Rowan Joffe brings pieces of that to his visually riveting 2011 version, but the character depth necessary to make Brighton Rock more than just a straightforward tale of a gangster and his moll doesn’t come from Riley’s performance like it needed to, and is only partially saved by the supporting cast of Helen Mirren, John Hurt, and Andy Serkis.
An unsanctioned hit on a powerful crime figure puts Pinkie (Riley) at odds with those above him (Serkis), and soon enough he begins to chafe underneath their leadership. He wants to be more than just a lackey, and he wants more out of life than his low position can offer. When the beautiful waitress Rose (Andrea Riseborough) strikes Pinkie’s fancy (for both romantic and business reasons), her safety comes into question, and a couple (Mirren, Hurt) familiar with Pinkie’s dangerous lifestyle try to rescue Rose from her choice of suitor before it’s too late.
Joffe creates a perpetually dreary world within the small coastal town of Brighton Rock, and save for Riley his cast more than holds up their part to deliver an entertaining romp in the criminal underworld. Unfortunately, Riley dominates the screen time, and his flat performance, free of nuance, doesn’t resemble a sociopathic gangster with no concern other than his own ambition. Instead, it simply looks like an actor with no real depth or range attempting to convey faint shadows of emotion, but failing entirely.
DVD Bonus Features
Cast and crew interviews, a brief look behind the scenes, and a production featurette are the disc’s only extras.
"Brighton Rock" is on sale December 27, 2011 and is rated R. Crime, Drama. Directed by Rowan Joffe. Written by Graham Greene (novel), Rowan Joffe (screenplay). Starring Andrea Riseborough, Andy Serkis, Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Sam Riley.
