User reviews

This is a beautiful film - peppered with moments of humour and breathtaking moments of shock. The use of music is inspiring (Nick Cave amongst the most wrenching) and Considine is a thoughtful and innovative director. I was fortunate enough to be at the screening where he attended for a Q&A and he spoke about the set being the actors' house and how they all feel comfortable and safe. And it shows. Jodie Whittaker is striking in her performance and all the supporting cast shine rather than simply be there. It is a shame that Paddy doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He spoke about turning up for films where he was disappointed in his part and the people he was working with - he is "in films for five pages" whilst we get the Hiddlestons and Redmaynes shoved at us. We should focus on the Paddy Considines and Stephen Grahams a lot more. A lovely, thoughtful and ultimately very moving story beautifully played out by craftsmen.

To my surprise, 'Journeyman (2018)' isn't so much a typical 'boxing film' as it is an unexpectedly realistic and heart-wrenching examination of how a single, blindsiding moment can change your life, for the worse, forever. It's also an exploration of one of the darker, less emphasised sides of a sport in which the participants consistently receive blows to the head, any one of which could end their careers or, worse, their lives (either as they know them or entirely). The film really is powerful. It's sobering stuff delivered through a phenomenal, award-worthy central performance and an incredibly nuanced, tactile screenplay that never feels heightened or 'Hollywood', instead feeling pretty much 'real' and incredibly raw right the way through. I was totally taken by surprise and on the edge of my seat throughout, watching through gritted teeth and teary eyes. It truly is brilliant, unbelievably compelling work, even if it isn't always easy to sit through. 8/10.

One of the most consistent and consistently underrated talents working in the industry today, British gun actor/filmmaker Paddy Considine has taken his time to step behind the director's chair again after his heart wrenching debut Tyrannosaur from 2011 but Journeyman re-establishes the fact that Considine is a force behind and in-front of the camera.

Not as powerful as Tyrannosaur or as unique, with Journeyman feeling a little more like well-trodden ground, Considine's film is still a great showcase for its lead performers in the form of Considine as champion boxer turned debilitated husband Matty Burton and Dr. Who herself Jodie Whittaker as Burton's caring but concerned wife Emma.

A boxing drama that barely spends any time in the ring, viewers should understand that Considine isn't concerned about following the general boxing movie tropes as he instead draws his focus away from the arena as we follow Burton on his journey to recovery after he suffers significant brain trauma in a title fight, ensuring the strain on his relationship with Emma and his friends is tested more than ever before.

Journeyman is a quiet affair, there's not much grandstanding or cinematic flair on offer and while it would've been nice for Considine to shake-up the familiar formula more often, the film is clearly the work of a performer that knows and understands his craft and remains in tune with the human intricacies that more polished and large-scale films can often lose sight of.

Considine himself is great as the determined, flawed and broken Burton while Whittaker takes a backseat to Considine's powerful turn, she to shows great heart and depth in her role, with the two top quality actors working magic when they get to share the screen together.

After Tyrannosaur and now this, it's safe to say Considine is a fine director of actors and should he continue to attract the type of talent to his productions as he has, it's an exciting fans for film fans the world to see what he has in store for us next.

Final Say -

It never punches above its weight class but Journeyman is another fine effort from one of the industry's most underappreciated talents, a boxing film with a different goal than the usual affair, Journeyman is well worth tracking down.

3 washing machines out of 5

Back-to-front boxing narrative, as we start with the big (defining) fight.

The aftermath is traumatic, well-told and horrifying at times. It's just half-way through you realise you're not gonna get much more. The ending is emotional, although well sign-posted.

Journeyman is a near perfect film, in my opinion. It's simple, but elegant, allowing the characters to breathe and develop. It's *beautifully* acted by Paddy Considine and Jodie Whittaker, who frankly should have had awards thrown at them for the scene that you probably came to the review page to read about, and it's directed to perfection by BAFTA-winning writer and director Paddy Considine, who allows every actor to give the best performance possible and who has a great eye for framing.

Considine's career-defining performance is what will draw most people into watching Journeyman- he's nothing short of amazing- but it's Jodie Whittaker who steals the show. She's just heartbreaking, conveying the subtleties of Emma's situation masterfully. It's a remarkable, understated performance that looks effortless, and the fact that she only received an Evening Standard Award nomination for her performance in this film is just criminal. Doctor Who fans should consider themselves lucky to have her as the 13th Doctor.

Laurie Rose is the director of photography for this film, and while most of it stays focused on the characters, Journeyman is quite beautifully shot. The editing by Pia Di Ciaula is sharp, and the score and sound design are pretty good too.

Journeyman is a remarkable film: it's devastating, yet hopeful; it's beautifully acted, directed, and filmed; and it's a showcase for two of Britain's finest acting talents. Once again, Paddy Considine proves himself to be an actor, writer, and director to watch.

9.5 out of 10

Boxing is a very well decorated sports sub-genre. You can list off a number of high-quality films from this category that have received high praise from the audience and been given a number of major awards. Two of them have even won Best Picture at the Oscars, Rocky and Million Dollar Baby. But nowadays, I think it's tough to make a really good one now. I feel it as a bit of a worn-out genre. There's not much else you can do different with it.

Now that I've seen Paddy Considine make and star in his own Boxing drama, the story certainly concentrates outside of the ring rather than in it. That's definitely a root that might refresh this genre.

But I felt to be really torn with this one in the end. It starts off with some potential. But I think the pacing of it and general look to it made it look pretty ordinary and dare I say more of a TV drama.

The second half does get better and by the end of it it was a heart-wrenching finale and that was all thanks to Considine.

Paddy Considine was great. It's hard to know what to think of his performance at first. But by the turn of the second half, that's when he truly shines and we get a couple of really emotional moments that did not have a dry eye in the house by the end of it.

Jodie Whittaker was a solid support and had great chemistry with Considine. But sadly, like with a lot of this film, her performance felt better suited to TV.

I've briefly mentioned this already, but the major problem I had with this film was that none of it felt cinematic. It felt more like an excellent one-off TV drama that would win many National TV awards. The story does fall into the trap of a what you expect in a TV movie, the forced themes and melodramatic presentation.

It is a real shame, because Considine's performance comes out really strong by the end of it and enhances everything around him.

Despite the high praise for his acting, there was very little exceptional content outside of that I'm afraid to say. After his incredibly powerful directing in Tyrannosaur, it pains me to say that this did feel disappointing. It's certainly made with good intentions and I think it is still worth seeing for Considine's acting. But maybe wait until you can access it from your home, as that seems to be where you get the best viewing experience.

Rating: 7/10

It started about 20 minutes into the film. It then reoccurred every 10 minutes or so for the remainder of the duration. I've not cried like that at a film for I don't know how long. Like an emotional dementor Paddy Considine's second picture as a director takes so much, and give it back in equal measure.

I could say it was a like a punch to the face. A knockout of a film. It took me the full 12 rounds. It had me up against the ropes and... I could say these things. But they'd be naff -especially when describing this bruiser of a film.

It follows Matty Burton, an ageing boxer who knows his times spent and is ready to take his last steps into the ring before hanging up the gloves. But fate has another idea. Sounds familiar right? That's what I thought. Benefitting from having not seen the trailer, which I'd strongly advise avoiding if possible, I was of course shocked at the tale that followed.

Matty revives an injury which alters the course of his life. The film is really about how it affects not just him but those around him, namely his two friends and most of all his devoted wife, portrayed by Doctor Who's Jodie Whitaker, in a career best role. It's a boxing film but more than that it's a film about those we love and who care for us. It's about identity in some ways, fight in others, but love in every way.

Set mainly in the family home of Matty, his wife and their baby daughter Mia, the film is, for the most part, a domestic tale about a man recovering from a traumatic injury and a family recovering from the fallout of it.

When I say domestic I mean in the sense that the action is all contained within the confines of the house; not the ring. As a director Considine creates tension from the most ordinary of sights and sounds, a crying baby, the call of a name. He also crafts more than a couple of shocking moments, also within the house. These really shock. They're sudden, viscous and yet they create no feelings of anger, only anguish and desperation for our two leads.

Considine proved himself as a more than competent director with Tyrannosaur, and also a capable writer with Shane Meadows' Dead Mans Shoes. Here he goes beyond that. The original score is used when necessary and removed entirely at just the right moments, a certain phone call scene is one of the films standouts. It never tips into the melodramatic or pandering which I was very worried it would.

However above all this directorial talent which produces and almost insist on such incredible emotional response, it's the acting of Considine and Whitaker which truly blew me away. Considine is utterly convincing, scarily so at times. Whitaker more than matches him too in what is a very different but no less enthralling portrayal. Being a small British film (small only in the sense of it not getting a wide release) I don't expect any awards to come raining down. But I also don't think I'll see another pair on screen this year who put as dynamic and heartfelt a performance as these two. Absolutely stellar.

Yes it is a knockout. It did hit me with an emotional guy punch. And yet it's so much more than the cliches thrown its way would have you believe. See it.

Boxing is a brutal sport; Paddy Considine's 'Journeyman' (which he wrote, directed and acted in) tells the story of a fighter who suffers from brain damage as a result of his craft. The film follows a simple narrative of despair and partial redemption. Considine himself is predictably convincing in the role, but the narrative is limited, precisely because the character's condition limits his ability to take full responsibility for his own life. The film is not straightforwardly anti-boxing: it makes the point that for some people from working class backgrounds, the sport provides their most powerful sense of community. Nonetheless, I'd ban it, at least in its current form.

A British drama; A story about a middleweight boxing champion, approaching the end of his career, who knows that he must make his money and get out of the game. This is a moving tale of love and friendship, lovingly told yet the early part of the first act is functional and derivative. Rapidly, we are rescued by a compelling and nuanced performance of human drama. The plot then takes a turn by a not wholly credible crisis on a bridge to move the story along. A rousing and upbeat ending contrasts sharply with drama that was hitherto handled so grimly. Nevertheless, it is delicately written in parts, with a very powerful and strong performance from Paddy Considine, who portrays a man enduring great personal suffering and life changes.

Very moving film brilliantly acted and directed by Paddy Considine.

The story begins with World Champion Matty Burton (Considine) and the build-up to his fight with brash, unbeaten and mouthy prospect Andre Bryte (Anthony Welsh). Supporting Burton is his wife, Emma (amazing Jodie Whittaker), and the two have a young child together. The opening montage establishes Burton's life showing he has everything to fight for including: family, friends, pride, career and community.

After the fight in the ring Considine and Whittaker take centre stage in a deeply moving portrait of a family coming apart due to tragic circumstances. Their performances as two characters battling to stay in love, together and just fighting to keep going is remarkable. There are so many startling scenes and moments which punch and wind you; this story moved me beyond words.

Paddy Considine really out did himself this time. What a spectacular film. The acting from everyone in this feature is outstanding and Paddy who also wrote and directed undoubtedly is a star when wearing all 3 hats.

The videography was sharp and well crafted the sound effects along with intense music made you feel the emotions from the characters, unfortunate as it was even when his head felt like it was going to explode.

I don't do spoilers so I won't speak much about the storyline you can read the synopsis yourself, but Paddy wrote this so superbly there won't be enough time in the day to pursue every offer he will soon be receiving to act, write and or direct.

Congrats to everyone involved in this film you should be proud of yourselves.

I give this a Totally Awesome movie rating at 9 for 'Journeyman' meaning someway somehow this needs to be the next film you see. It packs a heartfelt punch.

Journeyman needs an international release. It is straightforward in its narrative, but truly scary at times and emotionally devastating throughout. Paddy Considine's second film as writer and director is equally as good as his first (Tyrannosaur) but it has received little to no recognition. I hope that this film gets a wider release because the performances by Paddy Considine and Jodie Whittaker were nothing short of astonishing. Considine delivers one of the best performances that I have *ever* seen- he fully embodies the character of Matty to devastating effect- and Whittaker (although her role is very different and much smaller) matches him every step of the way in a courageous and open-hearted performance. The two actors just knock it out of the park in every scene. The supporting cast is also uniformly strong.

With any other actor/writer/director at the helm, Journeyman would feel like a vanity project, but Considine makes sure that it doesn't. Instead, he delivers a film full of genuine human emotion and powerhouse performances. Watch this now.

So, fine acting but really. Why not just get a nurse and a cleaner and save half the carry on. I get it why people loved it but it really strains the credibility factors to the point where the weight of the love story collapses under the weight if the narrative incoherence.

Journeyman is a great emotional experience that focuses more on the family life of a boxer rather than the boxing itself. Paddy Considine's direction is great and his performance as well as Jodie Whitaker's are both incredible. However, the fight itself isn't that well filmed and lacks the weight and impact it needs but the drama and acting in the rest of the film is good enough to overcome this flaw.

Paddy Considine did it again after the great directorial debut with Tyrannosaur. Without a doubt he is one of the best actors among directors and one of the best directors among actors. The complexity of the character he is interpreting is nothing short of amazing, Jodie Whittaker being great as well in portraying a various range of emotions. I'm amazed of the lack of popularity it has now, but I hope time will fix this as it's easily one of the best movies of 2018. Of course, one has to reach a certain emotional maturity in order to fully appreciate a masterpiece like Journeyman.

Is this a "traditional boxing" movie? NO! Boxing here serves only as a mere context for a heartbreaking story about love, forgiveness, despair, respect, will and hope. A film about taking the most important things in life for granted: health, family and unconditional love.

Is this a pleasant movie to watch? NO! But like all great movies, the payoff is worth going through this emotional rollercoaster. And the ending, although having a certain positive vibe and could be described as a "happy" ending, is being delivered without the elements that would have made it cliché like ending.

Paddy Considine offers a "free" master class in writing, directing and acting so I highly recommend it to anti mainstream film lovers!

PS: Jawbone (2017) is another good UK made, boxing themed independent film boxing fans should check out.

As somebody who has suffered a stroke this year (2022) from a bleed on the brain, never ill & healthy as a bull, the fight to regain thought process & use of arm is far bigger than any other battle in my life. This film simply lays out the challenges faced after the bell has gone. Superb, yet again, from Considine, a man who excels in front & behind the camera. A benchmark film, never afraid to delve into the simplest of struggles without the Hollywood urge to glorify or sex it up. As always in life the simplest solutions are usually the best.

For me obviously a very emotional experience as I am fighting my own way back. I cannot hold a pen, use a PC mouse & simple tasks take ages & a severe cause of frustration.

On the plus side I am lucky enough to have the NHS & it's heroic staff, who excel despite the Government of the day, not because of it.

A really different boxing film, so much so that the boxing is barely the focus. Journeyman is very much a drama, not a sports film, as you follow the journey of a professional boxer recovering from a brain injury. It is difficult to watch at times and can get emotional, and this is driven by brilliant performances from the two leads. There isn't a whole lot to the plot, don't be expecting a sudden burst of excitement, but it is a slow build testing the depths of a man and his relationship with his family.

Paddy Considine's Journeyman is just a wonderful film. It's tough to watch, but the performances and direction are just so good that you can't help but be pulled into it.

Paddy Considine and Jodie Whittaker are nothing short of terrific. Their chemistry is palpable and they each bring depth and subtlety to their characters. I might sound like I'm gushing about the film, but it really is that good. Considine's performance is disconcertingly good and one of the best I've seen in my whole life. He underplays it perfectly- his tics and facial expressions are technically brilliant and hard to watch. Whittaker may have a supporting role, but she shines brightly, bringing warmth, strength, complexity, and devastating emotion to a character that I don't think would have been as good in the hands of another actor. Just like with his previous and equally good (if much more shocking) Tyrranosaur, Considine once again directed award-worthy performances from the cast. Paul Popplewell and Anthony Welsh also give strong, emotional performances that turn supporting characters into real-feeling people.

Journeyman is also directed and edited very, very well. There are some moments that have you on the edge of your seat and that are genuinely scary, while others will move you to tears (THAT scene). The editing is sharp and shocking and the score is also good. Laurie Rose captures the action cleanly and brightly.

5 stars. This film will stick with me.