Dom Hemingway

Admittedly there's not much to this film outside of Jude Law's force of nature performance, he's a filthy, foul mouthed monolith of vulgarity and nastiness, and a joy to watch, it's a true revelation of a turn for the actor, breaking his posh, pretty boy image to pieces and gobbing on those pieces. Sure there's not much to the script or story, which are threadbare and under nourishing, plus Richard E Grant is somewhat wasted despite being rather wonderful, and there are many coincidental contrivances that sully the film a bit towards the end, but enjoy it for Law, for the stylish, off kilter approach to the British gangster movie genre, for the many gloriously profane monologues and the general fun depravity of the thing, plus it gets extra points for being surprisingly moving come the third act, which does not seem remotely likely given the first two thirds. A solid cult movie in the making.

Most people know Jude Law as a slick, English character, who in real life might be exactly the same.

But from the first, very confronting second, it's clear that he is much, much different. Without spoiling anything, you'll find him confronting, arrogant, taller, more muscular than ever before. It will shock you, surprise you but even more important: entertain you.

Law takes us to life after prison, to find out much has changed, except for him. In his head, he is still a legend and acts like one, while realizing that his life and his time in prison cost him dearly.

Be warned: the way Law acts, approaches the line between acting and over-acting, which will take a lot of your patience. But Law manages to do it tongue-in-cheek, while still displaying genuine emotions. This movies is more than just about a man after prison, picking up the pieces with some slapstick moments. It's about a man who is who he is, but also learns to change. Who doesn't care, but learns to care.

Law succeeds in finding a balance between comedy and seriousness. Between drama and satire. In this he creates a character that you can love, like, dislike, hate. But whatever it is, you WILL remember him and feel for him in the end.

As soon as the film started and Dom (Jude Law) begins a near 2 minute long speech proudly stating his admiration for a certain part of his anatomy, there was only one thing running through my mind; This is incredibly similar Tom Hardy's role as Bronson in the 2008 film; a watered down one.

The accent, the pronunciation and overall persona from Dom Hemingway just screams Bronson. If you haven't seen Bronson then you won't be able to associate it as easily and probably will enjoy the character more. I don't bring it up to in any way discourage Jude Law's performance; it is a great portrayal of a banged up Londoner who's out for financial retribution. A role you really can't associate with Jude Law and he does it justice on so many levels. It's not him that's the problem, it's the character. Not just the Bronson comparison, but the constant ranting throughout the film; full of synonyms and thesaurus like tirades. It becomes very repetitive.

There are some really funny moments, but like with the rest of the film the comedy starts to become slightly tedious. It is Dickie (Richard E Grant) who produces a lot of the witty comedy; he is funny throughout.

Still, a fairly good film with some good performances, violence, comedy, and a story of a hopeful father/daughter reconciliation to add to that.

When a film starts with a Shakespearian monologue of several minutes about the qualities of a sexual organ, you know you're in for something special. Hearing Jude Law going on about his penis ('It's a work of art, it should be in the Louvre, it's like a soldier, it can stand up all day') is definitely funny, and makes one admire his acting talent.

In this film, Jude Law is light-years removed from the fine and civilized English gentleman we know from so many of his films. With his Cockney accent, sideburns and streetwise stride, he plays an utterly despicable human being. Dom Hemingway is an egotistic, rude, violent, uncivilized and vulgar criminal. The film starts with his release from jail after twelve years of imprisonment, and shows him in a series of bizarre events, involving colourful characters and outrageous situations.

This could have been enough for a nice film. Hemingway's unsavoury character, and the very colourful way he speaks, are perfect basis ingredients for a hard boiled, no-holds-barred, crime-comedy. Unfortunately, the screenplay writer found it necessary to include a melodramatic side-story, probably intended to show that Hemingway does have a heart, after all. The subplot with his daughter and grandson are an unnecessary attempt to include an emotional dimension in the film. This film doesn't need that. It would have been far better if Hemingway wouldn't have gone soft-hearted over his grandson.

It's an unfortunate flaw for this film, which above all showcases Jude Law's acting talent. His acting is indeed wonderful: Hemingway is completely believable. Law succeeds in creating an outrageous character, without overdoing it. This is an enjoyable film, but nothing more.

I just saw the gala premier at TIFF and overall, I enjoyed the film. The acting was terrific, with Jude Law playing Dom Hemingway in the lead. The first few minutes of the movie had me wondering what I had gotten myself into, as it really starts off with a bang (or a blow, perhaps). That feeling of not quite knowing what I was watching stayed with me for a bit, as the movie is vulgar, violent, funny, and awkward, sometimes all at once. In the end, I liked I really liked it and found myself rooting for Dom despite having a bunch of reasons not to. It's worth watching for the terrific acting, and the moments between Dom and Dickie when things get tense are great.