A Funny, Heartfelt and Violent Action Comedy
Summary
London Calling delivers the laughs and the bodycount to be one of the best action comedies of the year. We don’t see them much any more but this is a fun throwback to the golden age of action with violence, laugh out loud moments and memorable characters.
Plot: After fleeing the UK from a job gone wrong, a down on his luck hitman is forced to babysit the son of his new crime boss and show him how to become a man.
Review: Tonight, I attended the Canadian Premiere of London Calling from director Allan Unger. It was a full house and the audience seemed hyped for a throwback to classic 80’s and 90’s action. Thankfully London Calling didn’t disappoint and manages to be hilarious, heartfelt and violent all at the same time.
It feels like an old-school buddy movie with Josh Duhamel playing an aging hitman called Tommy Ward who ends up having to leave London (and his son) behind after killing the wrong person. He goes to LA and ends up working for the rather nasty Benson (the always entertaining Rick Hoffman). Tommy wants to get back to London to see his son however, Benson will only help him if his nerdy son Julian (Jeremy Ray Taylor) is allowed to join on the next hit to make him into a man.
Thus begins our journey as the two very different characters go on a mission with Tommy, essentially becoming a surrogate father to Julian. This is a tale of fathers and sons and what happens when the parents mistreat their kids but also explores what it actually means to be a man in this day and age.
This gives what is mostly a breezy action comedy its heart with Tommy and Julian bonding and looking out for each other. Jeremy Ray Taylor (From the IT movies) is perfectly cast as Julian as he has such a gentle face which makes him immediately likeable as a character. The fact he is a nerd who gets bullied also has us on his side.
The script is at times hilarious, and I love some of the zany humour so things never take themselves too seriously.
The performances are faultless, and I really enjoyed the time I spent with these characters.
The action is all done practically so we get several fights, shoot-outs and real explosions. This is an indie picture and yet manages to look better than some 100-million-dollar blockbusters. Like I always say, if you’re going to make an action picture do it for real as it always looks better.
Overall, London Calling is a fun throwback to old-school buddy movies with some laugh out loud moments and violent kills. Our two leads are immediately appealing always making sure there is some emotion to go along with the bodycount.