Making an original action film is a hard task. You've got to avoid cliché, silly one-liners and run-of-the-mill characters. You've also got to show a place that hasn't been seen before, but is still familiar enough to make the audience feel comfortable with what they're watching, never feeling out of place or alienated. Welcome To The Punch seems original yet familiar enough to breeze by rather enjoyably without ever really getting your blood pumping. Your bum is on the edge of your seat, but your shoulders are firmly resting on the back of the seat as you slouch comfortably while watching the film.
It's a strange one, this. There have been so many action films in recent years that it's hard not to copy something from another film, and yet Punch feels innovative and unique. Starting with a blinder of an intro, director Eran Creevy pulls no punches, establishing the two main characters, James McAvoy's Max Lewinsky and Mark Strong's Jacob Sternwood. Through some pretty cheesy, but I suppose necessary, dialogue, we establish that Lewinsky is a Dirty Harry-type cop, doing his own thing as long as it gets results. However, he fails to get results in the opening scene, instead being shot in the knee bu spared by Strong's Sternwood. Fast forward a few years and Lewinsky has a partner, as in police partner, not luvvy-duvvy partner, in Andrea Riseborough's Sarah. Together, McAvoy and Riseborough have a rapport that wouldn't be uncommon in an all-male cop film, and this is where Punch really seems to work as something familiar yet different. Sarah is a strong, well-written character, though verges sometimes on the nearly-caricature, woman-for-the-sake-of-it character, but is played rather well for Riseborough, whose star is getting brighter day by day (and she's a geordie, so gold star there). A huge surprise, for me at least, is how well McAvoy rises to the occasion of playing the unlikeable hero. It's hard to believe that this is the same man who played Mr Tumnus in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, because he's so rough and angry, though fantastic. One minor gripe that I had wasn't any fault of the film, but it was due to a trailer for his upcoming film with Danny Boyle, Trance, being played before the film started, as he spoke with a scottish accent there, but a cockney one in Punch which, after hearing his scots voice minutes before, never really seemed convincing even though he's done a cockney accent countless times before.
One major plus point from this film is Mark Strong. He's the go-to actor if you have a gruff, one-dimensional villain who can flesh out the part to more than just words on a page. Here, Eran Creevy creates the Mark Strong role to end all Mark Strong roles. He seems to be your typical gangster who just wants to live the quiet life, but add the extra dimension of his son being involved in family business, and paying the ultimate price because of it, Strong's Sternwood seems to be more sympathetic a character than McAvoy's Lewinsky, even though Sternwood is the villain of the piece for 2/3 of the film.
The plot isn't hugely original: villain returns to town to tackle something personal, hero cop sees it as a chance to get retribution, something bigger than them sees them unite to fight the corruption scheme. Actually, that is quite original, but not unique enough to differentiate itself from any other British actioners of recent years. Corruption in office seems to be very common in films these days, reflecting the disdain shown towards those in positions of power, I can only assume. Punch makes sure you know what's going on, but for some reason, and this could be the film's (I don't want to say downfall because I enjoyed this film but I can't think of any other word at the moment) downfall, as the action scenes are so inventive that characterisation is left by the wayside in favour of cool cinema, which I favour...this time. The script, as mentioned earlier, has some necessarily corny dialogue, for example when introducing members of government, but in terms of plot development, it works efficiently, making sure you know what's going on, just about, while keeping things interesting with some cracking action scenes.
Those are what define an action film, so don't be too miffed if there are cheesy lines here and there, the action makes up for it, and then some. One scene involving a hotel room shootout is brilliantly directed and choreographed, making it feel like a cut away scene from a video game, then throwing you back into the mix. Think the Mass Effect games, but in a London hotel room in the present day. I loved the way Creevy directs an action scene, mixing bird's eye views and close-ups, creating a real sense of danger and awareness. The late Tony Scott would be proud of some of the action scene, especially the climactic shootout in a shipping container yard. His brother, Ridley Scott, executive-produced the film after reading Creevy's script and seeing his first film, Shifty. This influence really shows in the end product, with a slick, gorgeous-looking version of London that seems more in place in an American action film than a British affair. In this way, Punch is unlike any other British action film that has come before it, and if it does well at the box office, here's hoping that there will be more films like this and less trying to imitate Guy Ritchie, no offence to Mr. Ritchie of course, but he started an avalanche of British gaaaaangster films that finally looks like it's stopping.
A minor niggle is the manner in which the film ends. It feels just a bit underwhelming compared to how the film builds up to it, but in its defence, I suppose it allows elaboration in a sequel that I'd very much like to see. Creevy's not just telling a single narrative, but gives the potential for a whole series of stories to take place in the 'Punch universe'.
Overall, don't go into the film expecting to see a striped leopard, because you'll be disappointed. The familiarity of the film is inevitably its weakness, however, the action scenes are really where Punch really knocks you out, with great choreography and brilliant direction. Nothing special, but well worth a watch.
Score: 7.5/10
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