Journeyman

This is a beautiful film - peppered with moments of humour and breathtaking moments of shock. The use of music is inspiring (Nick Cave amongst the most wrenching) and Considine is a thoughtful and innovative director. I was fortunate enough to be at the screening where he attended for a Q&A and he spoke about the set being the actors' house and how they all feel comfortable and safe. And it shows. Jodie Whittaker is striking in her performance and all the supporting cast shine rather than simply be there. It is a shame that Paddy doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He spoke about turning up for films where he was disappointed in his part and the people he was working with - he is "in films for five pages" whilst we get the Hiddlestons and Redmaynes shoved at us. We should focus on the Paddy Considines and Stephen Grahams a lot more. A lovely, thoughtful and ultimately very moving story beautifully played out by craftsmen.

Boxing is a very well decorated sports sub-genre. You can list off a number of high-quality films from this category that have received high praise from the audience and been given a number of major awards. Two of them have even won Best Picture at the Oscars, Rocky and Million Dollar Baby. But nowadays, I think it's tough to make a really good one now. I feel it as a bit of a worn-out genre. There's not much else you can do different with it.

Now that I've seen Paddy Considine make and star in his own Boxing drama, the story certainly concentrates outside of the ring rather than in it. That's definitely a root that might refresh this genre.

But I felt to be really torn with this one in the end. It starts off with some potential. But I think the pacing of it and general look to it made it look pretty ordinary and dare I say more of a TV drama.

The second half does get better and by the end of it it was a heart-wrenching finale and that was all thanks to Considine.

Paddy Considine was great. It's hard to know what to think of his performance at first. But by the turn of the second half, that's when he truly shines and we get a couple of really emotional moments that did not have a dry eye in the house by the end of it.

Jodie Whittaker was a solid support and had great chemistry with Considine. But sadly, like with a lot of this film, her performance felt better suited to TV.

I've briefly mentioned this already, but the major problem I had with this film was that none of it felt cinematic. It felt more like an excellent one-off TV drama that would win many National TV awards. The story does fall into the trap of a what you expect in a TV movie, the forced themes and melodramatic presentation.

It is a real shame, because Considine's performance comes out really strong by the end of it and enhances everything around him.

Despite the high praise for his acting, there was very little exceptional content outside of that I'm afraid to say. After his incredibly powerful directing in Tyrannosaur, it pains me to say that this did feel disappointing. It's certainly made with good intentions and I think it is still worth seeing for Considine's acting. But maybe wait until you can access it from your home, as that seems to be where you get the best viewing experience.

Rating: 7/10

To my surprise, 'Journeyman (2018)' isn't so much a typical 'boxing film' as it is an unexpectedly realistic and heart-wrenching examination of how a single, blindsiding moment can change your life, for the worse, forever. It's also an exploration of one of the darker, less emphasised sides of a sport in which the participants consistently receive blows to the head, any one of which could end their careers or, worse, their lives (either as they know them or entirely). The film really is powerful. It's sobering stuff delivered through a phenomenal, award-worthy central performance and an incredibly nuanced, tactile screenplay that never feels heightened or 'Hollywood', instead feeling pretty much 'real' and incredibly raw right the way through. I was totally taken by surprise and on the edge of my seat throughout, watching through gritted teeth and teary eyes. It truly is brilliant, unbelievably compelling work, even if it isn't always easy to sit through. 8/10.

Journeyman is a great emotional experience that focuses more on the family life of a boxer rather than the boxing itself. Paddy Considine's direction is great and his performance as well as Jodie Whitaker's are both incredible. However, the fight itself isn't that well filmed and lacks the weight and impact it needs but the drama and acting in the rest of the film is good enough to overcome this flaw.

Paddy Considine really out did himself this time. What a spectacular film. The acting from everyone in this feature is outstanding and Paddy who also wrote and directed undoubtedly is a star when wearing all 3 hats.

The videography was sharp and well crafted the sound effects along with intense music made you feel the emotions from the characters, unfortunate as it was even when his head felt like it was going to explode.

I don't do spoilers so I won't speak much about the storyline you can read the synopsis yourself, but Paddy wrote this so superbly there won't be enough time in the day to pursue every offer he will soon be receiving to act, write and or direct.

Congrats to everyone involved in this film you should be proud of yourselves.

I give this a Totally Awesome movie rating at 9 for 'Journeyman' meaning someway somehow this needs to be the next film you see. It packs a heartfelt punch.