REVIEW: Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley star in ‘London Boulevard’

William Monahan won an Academy Award for writing The Departed, and now he offers audience members his directorial debut with London Boulevard. The fact that this Colin Farrell vehicle feels like a large step down from Scorsese’s picture was probably inevitable.

London Boulevard’s writing and direction is snazzy and smart. Monahan knows how to personalize thugs and criminals, never letting their antics spill over into caricatures. However, the premise of the movie, which is based on a novel by Ken Bruen, never quite works out.

It’s hard to believe that Charlotte (Knightley) is a model/actress so hounded by the press that she can’t leave her house. Yes, this happens to celebrities, but London Boulevard blows the whole paparazzi phenomenon out of proportion. It’s never fully explained why there’s so much interest in this woman, and, except for a few billboards around London, it’s not clear what she did to earn so much fame.

The role and the performance by Knightley (who was much better in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method) are underdeveloped and wasted. This makes the rest of the movie somewhat tricky, especially since Farrell’s character of Mitchel is so fascinating. Here’s a hardened criminal recently released from prison. He falls into a security guard job at Charlotte’s house and, as these thing always go, can’t get away from the old crowd and live a clean, peaceful life.

His friends drag him back to the underground. But unlike his previous days of mayhem, there’s a new a man in control: Gant (the always enjoyable Ray Winstone).

While trying to protect Charlotte from the scrutiny of the paparazzi, Mitchel tries his best to keep Gant happy. Soon enough that it’s impossible to achieve both goals.

The plot is hardly original. There must be a dozen movies in the past few years that have seen criminals brought back to the streets where they first cut their teeth. Luckily, Farrell offers a unique portrait of a quiet, deliberative man who will resort to violence if necessary. He’s very samurai-like, dispensing justice and trying to keep his head above the water.

Mitchel is also a sucker for sympathy. He protects his sister (Anna Friel) and takes care of a homeless man who has become a quasi-father figure. For a largely unoriginal movie, Farrell expertly creates a character from the ground up. Watch how the actor conveys so much emotion with just his eyes, never uttering a word.

Winstone is similarly appealing. With his dapper suits and slicked back hair, he very much looks the part of a criminal boss. He unleashes his power in almost psychotic fury, and it becomes difficult to predict what will happen next.

David Thewlis offers comic relief as Charlotte’s live-in best friend. Eddie Marsan, an exquisite character actor, has fun with his detective role.

Monahan is obviously a skilled talent. He has adeptly taken on directorial duties and produced a worthy film. One slight criticism is that he hasn’t fully distinguished himself from other director’s work, especially Scorsese. Much of London Boulevard feels like other criminal-gone-good films. There are violent outbursts followed by scenes of quiet pathos. Rock music interrupts the proceedings and serves as a transition from scene to scene.

It’s all nicely fashioned, but lacking in uniqueness.

When Monahan finds his originality as a director it will be thrilling to watch. Even this tribute to the genre is a fun ride. It’s not on par with his previous work, but few projects can reach those heights.

• London Boulevard

• 2011

• Written and directed by William Monahan; based on the book by Ken Bruen

• Starring Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone

• Running time: 103 minutes

• Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some nudity and drug use

• Rating: