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Lorraine Stanley, Johnny Harris, Sam Spruell, Georgia Groome, Alexander Morton ... see more see more... , Nathan Constance , David Keeling , Jamie Kenna , Chloe Bale , Jack Deam , Claudie Blakley , Tim Matthews

London to Brighton marks writer/director Paul Andrew Williams' debut feature. Made in the tradition of such contemporary British crime dramas as Get Carter and Snatch, and adapted from Williams' celeb... read more read more...rated short film Royalty, the picture opens with two women on the lam: middle-aged hooker Kelly (Lorraine Stanley), whose battered face discloses a recent thrashing, and the preteen Joanne (Georgia Groome). While the two board a train bound from London to Brighton in the middle of the night, the vile thug Stuart Allen (Sam Spruell) orders Kelly's pimp, Derek, to deliver the two women within 24 hours. Kelly, it seems, originally supplied Derek (Johnny Harris) with runaway Joanne to satisfy the request of a client, Duncan (Alexander Morton), for underage girls. Duncan later turned up dead, and now Kelly is a prime suspect. Nathan Constance and David Keeling co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Flixster Users

74% liked it

6,082 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

28 critics

R, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: Paul Andrew Williams

Release Date: February 8, 2008

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DVD Release Date: March 15, 2005

Stats: 966 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (966)

  • 76Majikat
    March 25, 2011
    76Majikat
    Exceptional!!! Without doubt one of the best films that I have watched in a long time. A gritty, true to life storyline with very natural performances, particularly from the two main characters. This film held me from the get go and never failed to grab my attention throughout... read more. Quite a frightening reality, which makes it a sensational Drama.

    This is a film that should be on everyone's "must see" list (or at the very least every Brit's "must see" list).
  • matertenebraum
    February 10, 2011
    matertenebraum
    I can't recall the last time a film had such a visceral impact on me. Coming out of the cinema after watching "London to Brighton" I felt my senses reeling and the adrenalin pumping as if I had just stepped off a particularly fiendish theme park ride.

    There's a grim nastiness ru... read morenning throughout this story, interwoven with a thin thread of maternal compassion. Life is hard and hopeless for these people. They have few choices open to them. Their environment is sordid and gloomy. Even the seaside resort of Brighton is cold, windy and desolate.

    But what lifts the audience out of what might otherwise be a depressing experience is the storyline which builds excitement and fear to the point where my friend felt he had to get up and actually leave the auditorium! Without revealing the plot, I can say that had he stayed, the final scene ? which in no way strays from the noir ? would have rewarded his perseverance.

    The cast turn in convincing performances and Georgia Groome is excellent as the young runaway.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    January 23, 2010
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Although this is a totally disgusting film in what is happening, it's very interesting and gripping to see what is happening and is going to happen to these people. It makes you realise what people really go through on the streets and how difficult and horrible it really is. It w... read moreas uncomfortable but enlightening to watch.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    Gritty, raw and full of suspense. A great debut from Williams, am looking forward to seeing more from him. The acting was also superb. We need more British films like this!
  • Deano78
    August 6, 2009
    Deano78
    A good if gritty, raw film film about a runaway girl and a prostitute she befriends trying to get away from a small time gangster. Very short but it makes a big impact, although it was getting predictable towards the end. Great film for a shoe string budget.
  • kiriyamakazou
    June 29, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    A wonderfully dark and gritty film that feels like Dead Mans Shoes. A very simple story, a girl and a woman on the run, is transformed into a more detailed character study. At 85 minutes the film is tense and surrounded in mystery as bit by bit we are exposed to why they are on t... read morehe run and why they are being chased. The acting is fantastically real, it really does raise the quality of the overall film. Other British films such as Kidulthood and Snatch are ruined by quirky, over the top performances and stereotypically cliched dialogue. Not here. Groome is naive and innocent yet suprisngly strong. One supporting character shows a softer side in the very british offering of a cup of tea to his captives. Spruell is also mysteriously captivating as the son robbed of a despicable father. He plays it with an understated amount of both love and contempt. The film as opposed to being shocking is more uncomfortable. The overall tone is bleak but the message at the end is a fair one. Just about everyone gets their comeuppance. A true great, though it does take time to settle into its shoes.
  • SilentWarProductions2009
    June 13, 2008
    SilentWarProductions2009
    Directed by: Paul Andrew Williams.
    Starring: Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome, Alexander Morton, Johnny Harris.

    << "Why the fuck did you run away?"..."Cause living at home was shit, mums dead ain't she and my dad was a bastard, he beat me...he was ... read morealways pissed." >>

    The story follows a woman and a young girl on the run, the woman beaten and the young girl distrout, they have both been involved in an event that is keeping them on the run, or else they will be found.

    I certainly tried keeping the synopsis above as minimum as possible, because nothing should be ruined for this film...especially when its simply told and runs for a mere 78 minutes (without credits)...but what is told is something great.

    The story pretty much is split into 3 angles, the first being from the angle of the two on the run, the other of the two who are chasing her and the other of the person who has set this all up...never does the film drag on any of these angles, each section is tautly told and remains full of tension and grittiness, there is never a dull or forced moment.

    The performances are some of the most committed and strongest i have seen in an independent, unknown first debut in many years. Everyone does wonders with there well thought out characters, but the one to mention is Georgia Groome. 14 at the time of filming, she inhabits the role with such complexity and experience, its shocking to see the attitude and range coming from someone so unknown...and when the emotion is raised, its heart-wrenching to see her the way she is.

    As much as I am trying to say nothing about the film or its themes, the 3rd act I will mention. Brutal, unrelenting and very morally hard to watch, its one of the more daring acts you'll see that is portrayed realistically, but the final frames could have gone in so many different directions that the one delivered here does feel a little unconvincing.

    London to Brighton is certainly worth the watch and I urge you to seek it out. An outstanding debut that is amazingly realistic and gritty in its dark themes and is all the more satisfying when you know that the characters are the main focus and they are given the right treatment with some astonishing performances.
  • gor41
    May 2, 2007
    gor41
    Taut gritty thriller with a scarily authentic atmosphere. Sam Spruell is particularly chilling with a controlled menace which owes a lot to Paul Bettany's performance in Gangster No1.
  • gator681
    June 29, 2010
    gator681
    To paraphrase, nothing good can come at 3:07 am which is when Kelly(Lorraine Stanley), a prostitute between the ages of 25 and 40 with a black eye, and Joanne(Georgia Groome), an 11-year old runaway with a 2 pack a day habit, find themselves barricaded in a bathroom. They are on... read more the run from Kelly's pimp Derek(Johnny Harris) who in turn was previously contracted by Stuart(Sam Spruell, who is superb)who would like to have a polite chat with him about what exactly went wrong. Kelly decides to go to Brighton with her young charge because she has a friend there that Derek knows nothing about but first has to do some impromptu fundraising.

    "London to Brighton" is a harrowing thriller that all hangs on one particular moment of stupidity and some tenuous logic. For the most part, the flashbacks are unnecessary as the viewer can already fill in the blanks without a lot of help. In other words, sometimes less is more and that is certainly the case here. At the same time, through a bit of misdirection, the movie is not really about Kelly and Joanne at all, as it is about the rich exploiting the poor. At least in England, they can all agree on a cup of tea.
  • lesleyanorton
    July 18, 2009
    lesleyanorton
    Prostitute trys to protect homeless girl from the clutches of gang boss by running away to Brighton. Again.

View All London to Brighton Reviews

Critic Reviews

Philip Marchand
April 18, 2008
Philip Marchand, Toronto Star

Its tautness is satisfying. Not one line of dialogue is superfluous, not one take is a second too long. Full Review

Jennie Punter
April 18, 2008
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

From the near-hysteria of this compelling opening sequence, Paul Andrew Williams's taut, tough and thoroughly satisfying drama grips the viewer and never lets go until its brutal, surprising conclusion. Full Review

Frank Scheck
February 20, 2008
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

A gritty British gangster film that leaves a bitter aftertaste, Paul Andrew Williams' London to Brighton is as technically assured as it is ultimately superfluous.

Kyle Smith
February 8, 2008
Kyle Smith, New York Post

The film is a calling card for its sure-handed rookie director, Paul Andrew Williams, who expertly turns up the suspense knob while establishing a thick sense of doom amid grimy settings. Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman
February 8, 2008
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Very good but very grim, Paul Andrew Williams' punishing debut doesn't pull many punches -- although the characters certainly field their share of body blows. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
February 8, 2008
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

I'm not entirely sure what [director Williams] was trying to pull off in London to Brighton or even if Mr. Williams knew what he was trying to pull off.

Nathan Lee
February 5, 2008
Nathan Lee, Village Voice

The debut feature of writer-director Paul Andrew Williams is a grim, efficient affair. Full Review

Derek Elley
September 16, 2006
Derek Elley, Variety

A technically impressive first feature that leaves an empty taste in the mouth. Full Review

Paul Chambers
August 10, 2009
Paul Chambers, CNNRadio

Compelling at times, but material seems exploitive. Full Review

Prairie Miller
August 6, 2009
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze

Gritty, hellish inner city underworld excursion segue into incidental commuter crime thriller, featuring an unlikely surrogate maternal figure accessory to pedophilia street hooker's redemptive conver... Full Review

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