Colin Farrell doesย a lot ofย things well, but he plays a gangsterย extremelyย well.ย Theย currentย sensationย bringingย him to audiences hid every aspect of his appearance andย stillย sold him as a superstar.ย He’s soย compelling inย The Penguinย that viewers mustย be turningย over every stone on every streaming service to find something comparable.ย London Boulevardย doesn’t make that list, but it’s close enough to draw eyes to Paramount+.
London Boulevardย is the directorial debut of one William Monahan. His first time writing a Hollywood script was Ridley Scott’s iconicย Kingdom of Heaven,ย and hisย second wasย The Departed. That’s like handily winning your first boxing match, then somehow taking home the Olympic gold medal in your second. He did not take to directing as quickly, as both of his projects as director flopped hard. Maybe the third time’s the charm in that field?
Colin Farrell Drags London Boulevard to Paramount+ Success
London Boulevard is a 2010 entry in the English crime thriller genre. They’re a lot like American crime thrillers but usually a bit more bloke-focused. Guy Ritchie probably remains the king of the genre, but there are many other options. The plot follows Farrell as Harry Mitchell, an all-purpose tough guy who can’t walk ten steps without stumbling over a woman in danger. He’s got just enough of a heart of gold to save whoever he finds, leading him to meet Keira Knightley’s Charlotte. She’s a reclusive actress; he’s an overworked criminal. They’re a match made in heaven. There are a lot of characters in this film, dragging Harry and Charlotte on half a dozen side quests that very rarely amount to anything. It feels like Monahan is on autopilot, as if the work of directing the film drained him too much to give his all to the script.
London Boulevard came out in 2010, fighting both the penultimate Harry Potter movie and Tony Scott’s Unstoppable for box-office supremacy. Needless to say, London brought home the bronze. This was before the streaming boom, so the film had to settle for an at-home VOD release before it hit theaters. It brought home $4.6 million on a $12.3 million budget, falling dramatically short despite a modest price tag. The few critics who noticed the film weren’t kind to it. It only has 48 professional reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, offering the film a grim 38% positive score. The over 10,000 audience reviews were even meaner, slapping it with a 30% score. Despite a solid cast and crew, the project simply vanished upon release.
London Boulevardย is performing well on Paramount, a streaming service thatย trulyย palesย in comparisonย to its competitors.ย Itย justย doesn’t have a selection that could rival anyย of theย other major outlets.ย Claiming aย position on Paramount’s top tenย is far less of an accomplishment thanย it would beย on HBO or Netflix. Still, Colin Farrell’s star is high right now. It’s hardย for meย to believe people weren’t just looking for another dose of the Oz Cobb actor. If you’re still looking, considerย In Brugesย orย Seven Psychopathsย before headingย downย toย London Boulevard.
