Welcome to the Punch

This is the second feature for British writer and director Eran Creevy who was Bafta nominated for his first movie Shifty – a unique, fast-paced day in the life of a charismatic drug dealer in London. Produced by Ridley Scott, this crime thriller again takes you through the underbelly of London for about 90 minutes. 

The narrative plot may be simple on paper but it is well thought out: Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong), a former criminal, has to return to London from his hideaway when his son is involved in a heist gone wrong. The detective Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy) has one last chance to catch the man who destroyed his life. As they face off, they start to realise that they’re both confronted with a deeper conspiracy they need to solve if they are to survive.

Big cars, big conspiracies, a big city and big fights: a new action feature with nothing really new on the horizon. With over-dramatic revenge, a good dose of stunts, a hint of intrigue and some comic relief, that’s more or less all you get. But does this matter? After all the cast is irreproachable, led by the charismatic and indestructible McAvoy alongside his sworn enemy, the enigmatic Strong. They believe in the script and invite us to follow them in London by night. Happily for the movie, they succeed enough to make us want to stay. The characters are quite touching, even if they are drowned out by cinematic genre conventions. Perhaps with a little more depth and fewer cheap thrills it could have been a great film, and not just an average one. 

Liloïe Cazorla

Welcome to the Punch is released nationwide on 15^th March 2013.

Watch the trailer for Welcome to the Punch here: