London to Brighton marks writer/director Paul Andrew Williams' debut feature. Made in the tradition of such contemporary British crime dramas as Get Carter and Snatch, and adapted from Williams' celebrated short film Royalty, the picture opens with two women on the lam: middle-aged hooker Kelly (Lorraine Stanley), whose battered face discloses a recent thrashing, and the preteen Joanne (Georgia Groome). While the two board a train bound from London to Brighton in the middle of the night, the
vile thug Stuart Allen (Sam Spruell) orders Kelly's pimp, Derek, to deliver the two women within 24 hours. Kelly, it seems, originally supplied Derek (Johnny Harris) with runaway Joanne to satisfy the request of a client, Duncan (Alexander Morton), for underage girls. Duncan later turned up dead, and now Kelly is a prime suspect. Nathan Constance and David Keeling co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
From the near-hysteria of this compelling opening sequence, Paul Andrew Williams's taut, tough and thoroughly satisfying drama grips the viewer and never lets go until its brutal, surprising conclusion.
A gritty British gangster film that leaves a bitter aftertaste, Paul Andrew Williams' London to Brighton is as technically assured as it is ultimately superfluous.
The film is a calling card for its sure-handed rookie director, Paul Andrew Williams, who expertly turns up the suspense knob while establishing a thick sense of doom amid grimy settings.
Very good but very grim, Paul Andrew Williams' punishing debut doesn't pull many punches -- although the characters certainly field their share of body blows.
I'm not entirely sure what [director Williams] was trying to pull off in London to Brighton or even if Mr. Williams knew what he was trying to pull off.
Gritty, hellish inner city underworld excursion segue into incidental commuter crime thriller, featuring an unlikely surrogate maternal figure accessory to pedophilia street hooker's redemptive conversion to preteen protectress with a heart of gold.
Gritty, hellish inner city underworld excursion segue into incidental commuter crime thriller, featuring an unlikely surrogate maternal figure accessory to pedophilia street hooker's redemptive conversion to preteen protectress with a heart of gold.
ksemenei noris apo kaysimo, metatrepetai se asimanto anthropokynigito me sapoynoperarize dialeimmata, i eksereynisi ton (anti)iroon den paei kai poly makria ap' tin epifaneia, kai ta paihnidia toy Williams sta mpros-piso tis afigisis gia na soy ftiaksei s
It's a chase movie and the tension never lets up. Paul Andrew Williams' well observed gritty thriller differs from most British crime films in that the setting isn't the usual dour and brutal crims but a pimp who procures young girls
At the London Critics Circle film awards last year, Lorraine Stanley was nominated for British Actress of the Year, and if you see London to Brighton, you'll easily understand why.
English actor-turned-filmmaker Paul Andrew Williams made a striking writing and directing debut with this character-driven thriller, which plays out against a backdrop of desperation, self-loathing and grinding poverty.
If Mike Leigh decided to make cockney pulp instead of populist dramas, he'd end up with something similar to British actor-turned-director Paul Andrew Williams's raw, nerve-jangling feature debut.
Exceptional!!! Without doubt one of the best films that I have watched in a long time. A gritty, true to life storyline with very natural performances, particularly from the two main characters. This film held me from the get go and never failed to grab my attention throughout. Quite a frightening reality, which
makes it a sensational Drama.
This is a film that should be on everyone's "must see" list (or at the very least every Brit's "must see" list).
I can't recall the last time a film had such a visceral impact on me. Coming out of the cinema after watching "London to Brighton" I felt my senses reeling and the adrenalin pumping as if I had just stepped off a particularly fiendish theme park ride.There's a grim nastiness running throughout this story, interwoven
with a thin thread of maternal compassion. Life is hard and hopeless for these people. They have few choices open to them. Their environment is sordid and gloomy. Even the seaside resort of Brighton is cold, windy and desolate.But what lifts the audience out of what might otherwise be a depressing experience is the storyline which builds excitement and fear to the point where my friend felt he had to get up and actually leave the auditorium! Without revealing the plot, I can say that had he stayed, the final scene ? which in no way strays from the noir ? would have rewarded his perseverance.The cast turn in convincing performances and Georgia Groome is excellent as the young runaway.
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