The Crime (2012)

The Crime: Directed by Nick Love. With Ray Winstone, Plan B, Hayley Atwell, Steven Mackintosh. A hardened detective in the Flying Squad of London’s Metropolitan police. Based on the ’70s UK TV show.

“Nick Love is a man with a lot of baggage . His OUTLAW DVD commentary with Danny Dyer has passed in to legend and thatu0026#39;s not meant as a compliment . In short if Love made something of the standard of GONE WITH THE WIND or CITIZEN KANE the critics would still hate him and his movies. Of course thereu0026#39;s very little danger of Nick Love ever making a movie masterpiece , heu0026#39;s not Godard or Wyler or Welles or even Danny Boyle but as someone who makes movies for British lads heu0026#39;s more than competent . Indeed thereu0026#39;s a bizarre irony that this might qualify him as an autuer of sorts . Who better then to bring a classic Brit TV show to the screen ? u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWell THE SWEENEY was and remains one of the greatest TV shows Britain has ever produced . Unfortunately despite having protagonists called Regan , Carter and Haskins who work for – Sweeney Todd – The Flying Squad theyu0026#39;re not really the people we know from the TV series . Regan and Carter are a couple of detectives who are rough diamondswho bend the rules but the incisive blackly comical aspects to their characters is conspicous by its absence . Theyu0026#39;re not the same people and itu0026#39;s not just down to their not being played by John Thaw and Dennis Waterman u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat said the film is carried by the cast . Ray Winstone has made a career of playing the same cockney hardman for over 30 years and who better to play a violent anti hero than Winstone ? Thereu0026#39;s even a post modernist scene where he puts a bunch of battaries in to a sock mirroring his breakthrough role in SCUM . Ben Drew effectively resurrects his role from HARRY BROWN except this time heu0026#39;s working for the law and heu0026#39;s very good as Winstoneu0026#39;s sidekick . Somewhat disappointing is Damien Lewis as Frank Haskins because heu0026#39;s given very little to do but since Lewis is a relatively big name in American television you can understand heu0026#39;s cast as a selling point to a US market u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf thereu0026#39;s a serious problem to the movie then itu0026#39;s to do with plot holes . Several times youu0026#39;ll be falling out of your chair saying u0026quot; Wait a minute donu0026#39;t criminals have access to lawyers ? u0026quot; or u0026quot; Donu0026#39;t you appear before a judge if youu0026#39;re remanded in custody ? u0026quot; but in fairness to Love you donu0026#39;t really notice these deficences as the director ratches up the action and violence . Ignore the plot holes and youu0026#39;ll have a good time at the cinema watching an enthralling and involving British action thriller which is all too rare these days”