William Monahan; the Oscar-winning writer behind Martin Scorsese’s The Departed; is making his directorial debut with London Boulevard; another film with strong a strong criminal element; which he has also written (adapting the screenplay from the Ken Bruen novel), and like The Departed, features a very strong cast.
The film aims to tells a few interwoven stories, that make it not only a film about modern-day London gangsters, but also a true drama, and a romance film as well; as it focusses on a man named Mitchell (Colin Farrell, Phone Booth), who has been recently released from prison, and finds himself working as a bodyguard for a reclusive movie star named Charlotte (Keira Knightley, Never Let Me Go), who inevitably begins to fall for her gruff protector.
London Boulevard however, isn’t simply another retelling of The Bodyguard, as ex-con Mitchell doesn’t spend his time quietly becoming infatuated with his new employer, but rather trying to escape the criminal life he once led; something which is made infinitely harder by the actions of a local crime boss (played by Edge of Darkness star, Ray Winstone), who wants nothing more than to bring Mitchell back into the criminal fraternity.
Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire), Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies), and David Thewlis (Mr. Nice), also star in the film, which was shot earlier this year (mostly in London itself), and is due to be released in the U.K. on the 26th of November, and in the U.S. early next year.
