Dom Hemingway

We haven't seen a character as charismatic, outspoken, foul-mouthed, ill-tempered, and humorous as the eponymous Dom Hemingway since the notorious Gal Dove electrified audiences in Sexy Beast over a decade ago. Jude Law gets down and dirty in this scatological and rambunctious tale of a two-bit British gangster who rips through life with an irreverent, devil-may-care, up-yours attitude that gets him into loads of trouble whilst providing us with heaps of fun along the way.

Released from prison twelve years after taking the fall to protect his benefactor, Mr. Fontaine, Dom admits to "anger problems," which he vents as soon as he tastes the heady oxygen of freedom. The years of bottled frustration and anger and pent-up emotions are released like a champagne cork before he is summoned to France to see the big boss. Accompanied by his longtime sidekick, given a beautiful turn by the incomparable Richard E. Grant, Dom luxuriates in the bucolic pleasures of a country estate whilst also ogling the expansive allure of Fontaine's high-class moll.

The hijinks continue at a breakneck pace, but Dom Hemingway is more than just a simple ride in a race car. Dom may be the biggest, baddest safecracker put on screen in many a year, but he has also left a wake of troubles behind him, and these balance the film out in mood and content. His actions have repercussions, and director Richard Shepard plays both sides of this coin with adroit effect. Dom Hemingway is ultimately more than the sum of its impertinent parts, and Law and Grant absolutely revel in their scummy but lovable roles in this cheeky piece of filmmaking.

PIERS HANDLING