“I've seen more ferocious, and entertaining, spectacles at Raffi concerts.”

Chris Cabin
FILMCRITIC.COM

“…witless and pointless.”

Andy Klein
LOS ANGELAS CITY BEAT

“An aggravating twerp of an indie.”

Michael Phillips
CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Am I missing something?

London received one of the worst overall ratings on rottentomatoes.com ever (15%), and seems to be universally hated within the film critic community. It's certainly not a great film, but I can't understand the overwhelming animosity. It doesn't do anything worse than ninety percent of films being released in theaters nowadays, and most things, it actually does better. On top of that, it is Hunter Richards' first picture, and if anything it shows great promise for his future.

Critics have complained that it is whiny and depressing, and that they don't like the characters on screen. The concept of the film is a simple one. Syd (Chris Evans) is toiling over his lost relationship with London (Jessica Biel) in the (huge) bathroom in the apartment where she is holding her going-away party. Through his explanation of certain events, leading to flashbacks, the relationship takes form and we see more and more clearly the events that lead to its demise. Of course, these events are all revealed to us by way of a boatload of cocaine, which is supplied by Jason Statham's character (who also is the person that Syd does most of his talking with), and plenty of alcohol. The understatedly excessive amount of drugs is something that I could have perhaps done without, but it paves the way for conversation that takes place, as things are revealed about the characters that normally would never come out if they were sober.

There are several things that I liked about London. I liked the way the flashbacks did not focus on the arguments themselves, but on what lead up to the arguments, which is a better focal point, and more memorable. I liked Jason Statham, who gets a chance to flex his acting muscles, rather than just being the action star he is typecast as. He does very well. I also like Richards' slick direction. His film is stylistic and great to look at, and his actors practically come out of the screen, as they have probably never looked better in earlier films.

In fact, there isn't really a whole lot to overly dis-like about London. There is certainly nothing to be angry about. I'm not giving it a recommendation because there is a lack of overall substance in the film, and almost no resolve , but I'm not upset that I watched it and I believe that Hunter Richards could go on from this to carve himself a successful career in filmmaking. That is, if the critics don't needlessly skewer his next effort. Call it a high end two-and-a-half stars.