London Town

Not strictly terrible, but low grade and forgettable. It aims at being intense, but didn't arrive there, in my opinion.

I was drawn in to borrowing it from the Library, because I mistook it to be a film about Joe Strummer, who I'm a fan of. I didn"t realize that it was a family drama, with Joe Strummers character, coming in as a sort of punk angel.

Whike watching it, I found myself distracted over and over again, and checking my Facebook. Which is a sort of red flag as far as a movie, and whether I find it interesting.

I gave it 4/10, which is my way of saying, not horrible but not worth watching either.

England in the late 1970s was not a pleasant time for much of the country. Unemployment began to rise, and the government didn't do much to respond (this probably contributed to Margaret Thatcher's rise to power). Derrick Borte's "London Town" focuses on a working class boy who gets into The Clash while his father is in the hospital.

The movie is both about hope for the future, and about love of music. One scene features people debating The Sex Pistols vs. The Clash. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Joe Strummer, who enters the boy's life. It's not a masterpiece, but worth seeing. The rest of the cast includes Dougray Scott and Natascha McElhone (of "The Truman Show").

Coming of age tale about a young boy who discovers the Clash via his estranged mother and a girl on a train.

From the opening minutes you can perceive a nice tale which frankly is pretty unbelievable from some wooden acting, a poor portrayal of Joe Strummer and a teen romance than frankly is a bit wishy washy.

The whole punk scene is frankly pretty badly portrayed, the Anti Nazi League concert is mixed with some footage from the Clash's own rude boy film, factually incorrect as far as timelines are concerned for the die hard Clash fan but frankly all a bit dull and predictable.

Is one one for the DVD bargain bin in months to come, shame as The Clash still stand up as one of Britain's best bands shoulder to shoulder with The Whos of this world and expected a little more in the Quadrophenia or Sid and Nancy mould, this more a twee film that a 14 year old would find sweet more than a tale of 1978 and punk rock.

I like low-budget British films, I like films based around the working-class, I like movies based around the British music scene and I like era based movies such as the 60s, 70s and 80s. London Town ticks all the above boxes, but does it deliver? Not so much.

London Town is based in 1970s London, its a sort of coming of age movie which follows a teenage boy trying to find himself in a world which is moving fast and he simply has to grow up quick in order to keep up. His mother has left to pursue her own music career and he is left with his younger sister and father, when he father is injured and hospitalised, he is forced to become the man of the house and provide for the family. He meets a girl on a trip into London and along with some help from his Mother, he is introduced to The Clash and the lifestyle that goes along with following such a band. The Clash are a plot and marketing point, they aren't a primary focus. They aren't all that important in the end, similar to the Spike Island movie in which The Stone Roses are used in a similar way.

A big problem I had with London Town is that it really fails to deliver on any level of realism and in failing to do so you feel very detached from the characters and story lines. We are introduced to many different characters from many different backgrounds and everyone seems to be the ultimate stereotype of their character. Every character is portrayed as the extreme. It tries for emotion, really hard at times but ultimately doesn't reach the levels it tries to and feels quite poorly finished in the end. The main actor does a pretty decent job but the supporting cast don't offer too much in terms of quality, everything just feels a little wooden and the script is lacking, resulting in no real stand out scenes.

It isn't all doom and gloom though, some of the settings are very nicely done and you do feel transported back to 1970's England. The story, while clichéd, watered down and predictable, is a feel good, coming of age drama and there were moments which I enjoyed, it's just a shame they were few and far between.

I won't be watching London Town again and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as it is quite a forgettable movie. IT has a decent run-time though which helps keep the pacing solid and there will be people out there who will appreciate it more than myself.

5/10

This film tells the story of a teenage boy who faces a series of misfortunes, and ends up having to make a living while taking care of his young sister. He perseveres through the hardship, and meets the famous rock star from The Clash, and his life is changed for the better.

People say this film is about music, but I view this film as a film that chronicles how hard life is for people who are not well off. When misfortune strikes, prior don't even lens a hand of support. The boy faces adversity with striking resilience, which I think is a good example to people. I enjoyed watching the film because of this resilient character.