London Road

Yes, if like me, you see this film without knowing anything about its content and presentation, you should find it astonishing. As you can see from the plot summary in IMDb above, the story is a true one, in Ipswich in Britain, where five murders occurred not that many years ago. These events were then taken up by the National Theatre, and now as a film. There are a wide range of characters in the street (London Road) and they all have their own words used to make the dialogue. However, it is the presentation and delivery of the story that makes this film so riveting. My only reservations were the handling of two of the central characters which seemed a little far-fetched, but these are minor quibbles in a film which will be very differently delivered on the screen from what anyone would expect. Some of the imagery in the crowd scenes is especially noteworthy. Definitely recommended for art-house film fans, and the large crowd in Melbourne at the screening I attended seemed to be most impressed by its audacity.

It's not really surprising how an experimental film like this got polarized reviews... The idea, like many said, to create a documentary musical about a real-life murder is absurd, but the execution for the film was great. Many negative reviews regarding London Road mainly criticized this film because this is "not something you should sing about" like bloody hell people, WE'RE IN THE 21ST CENTURY! But once you get past that, you should be able to view London Road without clouded judgement. There really are no standout numbers or standout performances, which is what makes it great, considering it's a musical film about community (not the murder itself, really). The music is complex, but once the ensemble sing as one, it sounds beautiful. The lyrics taken from recordings in real life may be a bit annoying, but they sound quite natural with the characters singing them. The direction, production design and cinematography also surpass many films from Hollywood. Of course, it is for the viewers to decide, but you can't judge it until you've watched it.

This is a musical that presents what happened in the London Road community in Ipswich, after five prostitutes were murdered in that community within only ten days.

"London Road" tells the paranoia, shock and disbelief that the residents face, after the discovery of the murders. Then, there's a hunt for the killer, the subsequent trial and then, the community tries to rebuild itself. I didn't know it's a musical, so I was rather surprised to see people singing and moving in choreographed movements!

I particularly like the fact that the community rebuilds itself from the trauma, making themselves more united and resilient than before. There is a positive message out of the grim circumstances, and this film successfully captures this hopeful atmosphere in the rebuilding stage.

I was the 1000th person to rate the film, so I see it fair that I also throw up a review. Firstly, you need to know that this film is not for everyone. Absolutely not! Don't be lured in by Tom Hardy or Olivia Colman. You should instead be lured in by the unique take on film genre and a much more 'abstract' method of telling a story.

This is a musical about a series of five horrible murders that took place on London Road. Every lyric, however, is also taken verbatim from an interview conducted with real people and you therefore get some very genuine-feeling phrases being turned into musical numbers.

This all very weird, but the chilling melodies and rhythms as well as the intense and gritty way it is sung is frightening and works wonders. The acting is also very strong, but the intense use of color (or lack thereof) in the production and costume design is what really sells the songs and thereby the film.

The story is not too captivating, and there are times when a musical motif is used a dozen times too many, but this film is definitely worth checking out if you are in the mood for watching something extremely different and bizarre.

Overall, I liked the movie but why the hell would they put Tom Hardy's face on their main movie poster when he really isn't a main cast member. They did not let the camera show him throughput the movie, except for one very short scene and then a slight glimpse afterwards, which actually seems like a residue of a scene cut-out of the movie. To be honest, I decided to watch this movie, thinking it has such a great actor in it, so it has to be good. But sheer disappointment struck me when I realized that I had become a victim of cunning (yes, I will use such a harsh word) advertising.

Besides the Tom Hardy thing, however, the movie was quite a different one, kind of a very casual musical and I kind of liked it.