A trailer can be misleading, like a celebrity picture in a magazine, so quick and manufactured that you miss those cracks, those dreaded imperfections that make you feel mislead and trapped as you sit in your theater seat, inching toward the edge, pushing back, antsy and unsettled. BRIGHTON ROCK may have me fooled or it may have me addicted, only time and a more full viewing will tell but for now these keystrokes are fueled by anticipation.
So what is it? Well thus far it’s this tense thing with flits of light shining through to unearth a beauty and clearly a sadness. In fact BRIGHTON ROCK may be too beautiful to live in comparison to the other great, grimy crime dramas that slip across the water to our shores.
No tag really fits this little conflict-driven film, a potentially invigorating enigma with its cast led by young Sam Riley who is quickly moving up the chain with yet another layered, interesting role that asks him to intimidate and captivate while still hinting at the hidden. Dame Helen Mirren, tough as a railroad spike, tough as always, challenges Riley’s character “Pinky”, pinning Andrea Riseborough’s ‘Rose’ between the two as well as her conscience and her desires.
Based on the 1939 Graham Greene novel of the same name, BRIGHTON ROCK was adapted by Rowan Jaffe (THE AMERICAN) who also directed. This marks the second adaptation of Greene’s novel, the first, which was also titled BRIGHTON ROCK (or YOUNG SCARFACE in the US) premiered in 1947 with a screenplay by Terrence Rattigan and the author, Graham Greene. The film starred Richard Attenborough and William Hartnell, the very first “Doctor” from DOCTOR WHO.
Here is the official synopsis from IFC and a glimpse at the trailer. BRIGHTON ROCK premieres in New York City (The Angelika Theater & Lincoln Plaza Cinemas) and in Los Angeles (The Landmark Theater-Los Angeles) on August 26th with a wider release to follow.
ABOUT BRIGHTON ROCK: With the aesthetics of a British gangster flick and the soul of classic film noir, screenwriter Rowan Joffe’s debut feature BRIGHTON ROCK tells the story of Pinkie, an ambitious teenage gangster who will stop at nothing to make a name for himself in Britain’s sinister world of organized crime. His aspirations are nearly derailed when Rose, a naïve local waitress, stumbles upon evidence linking him to a revenge killing. To keep his alibi alive, Pinkie seduces Rose, weaving a chilling web of deception and passion, violence and love. Set in the picturesque seaside resort of Brighton, England, the film updates Graham Greene’s iconic 1939 novel to 1964-at the height of Britain’s Mods and Rockers riots-and stars the sexy, up-and-coming British pair Sam Riley (CONTROL, ON THE ROAD), in a performance of intense cunning and charm, and Andrea Riseborough (MADE IN DAGENHAM and the upcoming W.E. directed by Madonna) as the young couple. Veterans Helen Mirren and John Hurt co-star as friends who set out to protect Rose from Pinkie and the dangerous world she is quickly falling into. Rowan Jaffe’s first feature is a triumph, perfectly capturing Graham Greene’s violent and sexually daring masterpiece.
Sources: (IFC and IMDB)
