Now I've spent a fair bit of time in Brighton, both in the blaze of the summer and battling the grey, lashing winds of winter. Some call it "London by the sea"- if only for the similar expense of living- but to many it represents the last bastien of liberal attitudes in Britain; a commune-like city of free-thinkers gazing out into the rolling tide.
Having never seen John Boulting's 1974 movie, nor read Graham Greene's novel, I went into Brighton Rock cold. I was eager to see how Sam Riley would follow up his breakthrough as Ian Curtis in 2007's Control, but more interested to see how Rowan Joffe would depict my favourite coastal town (while fully aware it was mostly shot in neighbouring Eastbourne).
This is the story of Pinkie, a young flick-knife wielding member of a racket on Brighton beach in the 60's, under threat of being uncovered by a local waitress, Rose, who could link him and his gang to a series of murders. Pinkie seduces Rose and marries her to keep her quiet, but as the gang start to doubt his ability to retain control and Rose's boss Ida is hot on the trail, Pinkie loses his grip.
Brighton Rock exudes the mood of its location. Dark, foreboding arcades give shelter from the lashing rain. Egg-white skies cover pastel-shade promenades. Cream coloured tea rooms and dusty, maudlin bedsits. The period is also evoked fantastically with subtle touches to the dialogue and some great set design. In the best scene in the film we are taken back down memory lane to Quadrophenia (Franc Roddam, 1979) when the mods and rockers descend on the city for their famous medieval battle; Pinkie finding his own (unrelated) ruck amongst the carnage, managing to blend in with the crowds to escape his assailants.
Sadly, the problem with this film is Pinkie. Not Sam Riley, but Pinkie. The character is flat and boring. He's supposed to be a cold nutter, yes, but not an unsympathetic one. There is not one line of expositionary dialogue or scene description which alludes to a back story to our protagonist, thus we don't give so much as a damn about the chap. Sam Riley evokes emotionlessness effectively in this role, but the lack of personality is stifling.
Andrea Riseborough is great as Rose. She has an honest, almost vulnerable face and she portrays a sweet, likeable character (though I was quite unsure what she found so attractive about Pinkie).
Helen Mirren and John Hurt have certainly the weakest roles in the film, both in relation to their acting efforts and the development of character in the script. On top of a sense of their drive to stop Pinkie, is it never very clear whether they're supposed to have a history or not. It feels as if the film hasn't got time for them and both actors knew this before production.
Andy Serkis' career has rocketed since he danced in front of a green screen in The Lord of The Rings trilogy, and his turn here is symptomatic of an actor that no longer has time to take bit parts. His part is functional, but all too brief.
Brighton Rock is another case of good tale made unnecessarily confusing. What starts off as a subtle, sharp style of storytelling fails to lay sufficient groundwork in explaining what is going on. We are given too little, left with the impression that this is supposed to be an flimsily plotted art film- not an artfully shot plotted film. Multiple times I found myself asking "who's he?" and "why did he do that?"- not because I'm retarded (let's hope), but simply because the director didn't do a good enough job with providing key information.
For all its beautiful cinematography and rich sense of time and place, this film fails to craft the character and succinct storytelling to form a brilliant film. The performances are good but let down by the screenplay. Still, I can't help but ask: if Riley had ever tried on a smile could some personality have been dragged out of Pinkie? We'll never know.
Brighton Rock has been nominated for a BAFTA and is out in UK cinemas on February 4, 2011.
Next review: Blue Valentine.
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