By Gordon Foote.

Eran Creevy, who some of you may remember from 2008’s Shifty, is back in the director’s chair with crime thriller Welcome To The Punch; the oddly named tale of ex-career criminal Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) and the policeman who failed to stop his last big job, Max Lewinsky ( James McAvoy).

Three years later, Sternwood’s son is shot when a heist goes wrong and this forces Jacob back to London where Lewinsky is waiting for him – but as the pair continue their game of cat-and-mouse, it’s clear that Sternwood Jr. was involved in something big.

With heavy hitters like McAvoy and Strong in the lead roles, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are some great performances in Punch. McAvoy continues to prove himself to be one of the more versatile actors out there at the moment; his depiction of Lewinsky burns with resentment and self-loathing as a leg injury reminds him daily that he let Sternwood escape.

On the other side of the law, Strong is typically stalwart, giving an understated turn as the object of Lewinsky’s obsession.  He crafts a true professional; a man who broke laws to make money, not for any desire to hurt or wrong people, and as the film builds it’s hard not to feel sympathy for him.  Add to these the likes of Johnny Harris, David Morrissey, and Peter Mullan and you have a surprising amount of talent driving this cop drama forwards.

The talent extends behind the camera too, with Creevy showing he can certainly turn on the style when the call comes.  Set in London (as all action films apparently have to be, at least in part, these days) the director’s vision of his home city is one of deep shadow and neon highlights by night, and muted pastels by day: gritty with a capital ‘G’, but also polished, beautifully shot, and confident in its execution.

Welcome To The Punch is a film that oozes style; making promises of neo-film noir, and tipping its hat to the likes of Michael Mann’s Heat.  From the dynamic opening action scene, that concisely sets the tone and introduces the players, to the action packed finale, Creevy’s direction blends seamlessly with Ed Wild’s cinematography to create a film which is never less than slick and visually arresting.

Sadly, while Eran Creevy’s direction is top flight, his writing lets the film down, doing little to hide the fact that under its layers of undeniable panache, Punch is a run-of-the-mill cop story with the usual tick-box partner/love interests, police corruption, and predictable plot twists all present and accounted for.  Despite its shiny new look, you have seen this film before, more than once.

Skeletal dialogue, at times, makes characters unrelatable, and it is only due to the calibre of the cast that this doesn’t threaten to derail the entire film.  It’s a shame, because Creevy’s film-making is skilful enough, and backed up by a cast brimming with capable actors, that he manages to drag you along and hold your interest. Even as the film hurriedly garbles its final, overly familiar plot contrivance before putting up its feet and letting its tense, well-crafted action carry you through to the inevitable conclusion, it’s hard to begrudge Punch too much.

It’s a destination you know well, but this is a fun way to get there.

3/5

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