Josh Duhamel has reteamed with BANDIT director Allan Ungar for the new action-comedy LONDON CALLING. Ungar, retooling a script by Omer Levin Meneske and Quinn Wolfe, humanizes Duhamel’s character and finds comedy in the absurdity of violence and perceptions of masculinity. “After fleeing from a job gone wrong, a down-on-his-luck hit man must babysit the son of a crime boss and show him how to become a man.” Jeremy Ray Taylor of IT fame plays the son in question, Julian, whose father is played with acerbic and spiteful glee by Rick Hoffman. Rounding out the cast are big dogs Arnold Vosloo (THE MUMMY) and Aidan Gillen (“Game of Thrones”).
LONDON CALLING pulls off the rare hat trick of offering an action comedy that’s actually funny. When we first meet Tommy Ward he is shrouded in mystery, stalking a decadent club like a knockoff John Wick. We see all the impressive cloak-and-dagger of a seedy underworld and we’re intrigued. Unfortunately the job goes awry and Tommy is forced to flee London, with little else than the briefest of goodbyes to his son, for his homeland of the United States of America. Los Angeles, to be precise, where he subsists on minor hit jobs for the despicable Benson (Hoffman). Benson reviles everyone around him, from his mail-order bride to his sensitive son, Julian (Taylor). Envious of Ward’s effortless cool and natural masculinity, Benson pairs Ward with Julian in an effort to help the boy become a man.
This film really works for its two main leads, their chemistry, and their comedic timing. The action is passable, as well, but the film suffers due to pacing. The story itself flows quite well but there always seems to be a half-second delay in the pacing of the actual scenes. An early chase scene has all the right beats and rhythm but the cadence is just slightly off. LONDON CALLING is a hair away from being a truly great action film but is redeemed by being a legitimately funny comedy. Duhamel and Taylor turn in great performances, and I would be more than willing to see these two paired up again in another outing.
I got the chance to chat with Duhamel (who, by the way, is not Timothy Olyphant) as well as director/co-writer Allan Ungar about bringing the film together and telling an underdog story. Separately, I was able to speak with Jeremy Ray Taylor who, despite having three first names, is not, so far as I can tell, a serial killer. You can see and hear those interviews below.
LONDON CALLING is a fun ride with a few twists and plenty of bombastic gunplay that will delight both action and comedy fans. I recommend this film for fans of OLD GUY or GROSSE POINT BLANK. It’s certainly better than OFF THE GRID if you’re looking for a redemptive Duhamel vehicle. The film releases this Friday only in theaters.
Until next time, take care.
-McEric, aka Eric McClanahan-
