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London to Brighton

R Released Feb 8, 2008 1h 25m Mystery & Thriller List
68% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
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.
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London to Brighton

London to Brighton

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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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

Audience Reviews

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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
London to Brighton

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Alastair Clark, Ken Marshall, Rachel Robey, Paul Andrew Williams
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
Runtime
1h 25m
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