"Brighton Rock stands sufficiently apart from the original, and Joffe should be commended on showing that a remake really can be done well"
The first screen adaption of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock was John Boulting's 1947 masterpiece starring Richard Attenborough in one of his finest performances, and the film is widely regarded as the greatest British film ever made. It takes a brave film maker therefore to tackle this sacred territory, and some of the greats like, Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick and even the Hughes brothers have considered a remake a possibility,but thought better of it.
There are some distinct differences between Boulting's classic film noir and Joffe's take on this dark and devious tale. The remake is set in the 1960's as opposed to Boulting's 1947 setting and so has a mods and rocker biker Quadrophenia vibe throughout the film, which helps the sense of change in 1960's Britain and heightens the sense of drama. In the grey, windy atmosphere of Brighton, we meet Pinkie, played by an excellent Sam Riley, the scheming, stony faced young gang leader, a ruthless and cold young man, who violently moves his way up to leader of the pack after he murders a traitor in their gang, thus intimidating fellow members into letting Pinkie start running the show.
Unfortunately for Pinkie, Rose, a slightly innocent and naive young tea shop waitress, becomes a potential witness and a danger to him, and so he deliberately seduces the lost young Rose into marrying him so that she cannot testify against him. However seduce is a strong and passionate word for the cold and detached way that Pinkie emotionally blackmails and coerces Rose into thinking that he loves her despite his treatment of her, and she quickly becomes his loyal servant, swearing to protect him forever.
Andrea Riseborough's Rose is simply mesmerising, and her character becomes a poignant reminder of female suffering, and a woman's fate in a lonely world where a menacing young thug can buy you from your Father's possession, and the worst is still yet to come. Her betrayal of a young soul, desperate to be loved and belong, and so blinded by obsession that she is willing to do anything for her 'Pinkie'. Trying to stop her on her self destructive path is a fantastic Helen Mirren as Ida, Rose's tea shop boss, who we get the feeling has not had such a rosy past herself, but her obvious past involvement with various members of the Brighton gang scene ensure she knows only two well the trouble that Rose is facing. She relentlessly tries to pull Rose back from the brink through a typically British mob moll done good type character,and Mirren plays her with a strong sense of will and admirable courage.
Although Rose's plight quickly becomes our main concern, Sam Riley is very intriguing and highly watchable, and genuinely threatening. We start of almost feeling for his plight when he is at the bottom of the pack, but our compassion soon turns to fear via Riley's dark portrayal of a soulless sociopath. The film is gritty, dark and a feeling of hopelessness and fear pervades it through the cleverly depicted 60's sets, peeling paint and especially the depressingly black rooms of Pinkies' gang. Brighton Rock stands sufficiently apart from the original, and Joffe should be commended on showing that a remake really can be done well.
