London to Brighton

R

Released Feb 8, 2008

1 hr. 25 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

68%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Kelly (Lorraine Stanley), a prostitute, is sent by her pimp, Derek (Johnny Harris), to procure a young girl for aging gangster Duncan (Alexander Morton). She brings back 11-year-old Joanne (Georgia Groome) -- but sex between Duncan and Joanne goes badly, and the gangster is inadvertently killed, forcing the two girls to flee London for the resort city of Brighton. As Kelly struggles to earn money to send Joanne to her grandmother, Duncan's son orders Derek to find the girls and take revenge.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Aug 08

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent London to Brighton on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Critics Consensus

With its grimy sets, taut storyline, and relentless sense of doom, London to Brighton is an auspicious directorial debut by Paul Andrew Williams.

Read Critics Reviews

Georgan G

This film is about the grimy side of life. The visuals match the drab plot, where lives are stuck in violence, to claw out a living. In the last scene, was the working girl going back to work or starting a new life?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/23

Full Review

Laurie S

"Police, amubulance or fire?" 'Police. An armed man with a shotgun is holding two girls hostage in my flat. He orderd me out.' "Give my your address." 'It's 57 Somerfield road, Brighton.' "Some armed officers are on there way now. Just do not provoke him and try to remain calm"............. That is what would have happened in real life. I rest my case. How everyone missed this I do not have a clue.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This hard hitting British drama from director Paul Andrew Williams is a brutally impressive piece of work. Williams has only directed a handful of films to date, he's probably best known for his work on ITV's Broadchurch in 2017. If you're familiar with the third series of the hit TV drama you'll notice some of his traits amongst the depleting mood of London To Brighton. The film begins in a dank and disgusting toilet cubicle in London at three in the morning. Through a wall of foul language we are introduced to prostitute Kelly, who is nursing a horrific swollen eye, and youngster Joanne, who claims her age is anything between eleven and fourteen throughout the film. Something has clearly gone badly awry for the pair of them, and we know the ballpark we're in immediately as Kelly forces Joanne to lock herself in the cubicle for an hour while she goes out to find a customer so she can earn the train fare for them both to head to Brighton where she has a friend. It becomes clear vier flashbacks why they're in this predicament; without giving to much away, they're essentially on the run from Kelly's pimp Derek (an excellent Johnny Harris). What makes London To Brighton so hard hitting and imposing is, of course the treatment of the two women throughout, but also the way in which Harris' portrayal of Derek makes you almost feel for him; he's been stabbed in the leg by his boss (a terrifying Sam Spruel) and told to hunt down Kelly and Joanne on pain of death. Lorraine Stanley and Georgia Groome are monumental as the two girls on the run, but Harris, despite being a horrible piece of work and a dreadful bastard (we see him seemingly pimping out his own girlfriend in an early scene) almost makes the film work himself as a middle man following horrific orders from an even worse bastard above him. He almost achieves our sympathies before constantly reminding us of what a horrible person he is. London To Brighton isn't for everyone, it reminded me very much of Hyena (2014), Gerard Johnson's nasty but effective British neo-noire drama, and to a certain extent Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996). But it demands to be seen if you can stomach it, it's probably one of the best British dramas of recent times, and I don't say that lightly.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

nefasto r

"London to Brighton" is a little, simple, raw indi movie. Unfortunately not much more then this. Pretty forgettable (which is always better than to be pretty bad).

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Powerful performances with excellent direction and writing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An abstract 'chase' film set on a gritty South London backdrop. Gripping from start to finish. Though the content is uncomfortable, the film's verisimilitude definitely encourages the viewer to pause for thought. A fictional representation of the most severe realistic enterprise.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Paul Andrew Williams

Director

Lorraine Stanley

Kelly

Johnny Harris

Derek

Georgia Groome

Joanne

Sam Spruell

Stuart Allen

Alexander Morton

Duncan Allen

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

86%

70%

The Square

62%

50%

The Dark Hours

6%

26%

Basic Instinct 2

29%

46%

Half Light

22%

51%

The Quiet

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

RT on DVD: A Sweet I Love You, Man Deleted Scene, Zooey Deschanel’s Latest, and More

Georgia Groome – Fresh Talent on RT

Critics Consensus: Gold is a Fool’s Paradise, Roscoe is Not Welcome

View more photos

David Fear

Time Out

Rated: 4/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Philip Marchand

Toronto Star

Its tautness is satisfying. Not one line of dialogue is superfluous, not one take is a second too long.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 18, 2008

Full Review

Martin Tsai

New York Sun

Mr. Williams demonstrates tremendous promise as a genre flick director and as the heir apparent to the British national cinema.

Apr 21, 2023

Full Review

Paul Chambers

CNNRadio

Compelling at times, but material seems exploitive.

Rated: C

Aug 10, 2009

Full Review

Prairie Miller

NewsBlaze

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.

Aug 6, 2009

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Kelly (Lorraine Stanley), a prostitute, is sent by her pimp, Derek (Johnny Harris), to procure a young girl for aging gangster Duncan (Alexander Morton). She brings back 11-year-old Joanne (Georgia Groome) -- but sex between Duncan and Joanne goes badly, and the gangster is inadvertently killed, forcing the two girls to flee London for the resort city of Brighton. As Kelly struggles to earn money to send Joanne to her grandmother, Duncan's son orders Derek to find the girls and take revenge.

Director: Paul Andrew Williams
Executive Producer: Tony Bolton, Gisela Evert, Paul Trijbits
Screenwriter: Paul Andrew Williams
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Disturbing Violent Content|Strong Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017

Most Popular at Home Now