Review: My Policeman
The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom's home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.
Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, Gina McKee & David Dawson.
My Policeman definitely has an emotional core & a soul that will most definitely resonate with a lot of people, but unfortunately, not with me. It is always nice and appreciated when we get another gay romance, especially one set during a time such as this. While I do have positives to say with this adaptation, I do have some say in the many flaws I had.
The actor on everyone’s minds at the minute is Harry Styles, from a boy band to Hollywood actor, everyone has wondered whether he is a good actor, or not. I was one of those people that stood at his defence, while not a fan of his, defending his pretty good performance in Don’t Worry Darling. While he was miscast, I thought he did well with what he was given and under the circumstances. However, I found him slightly weaker here & that could be down to his chemistry with Emma Corrin, whom I found to be the strongest actor in the film. I truly believe the screenwriter was giving Harry a lot more to do, but he didn’t take those chances and often felt as though he was holding back, not fore filling his acting potential. In explosive outbursts, he did convince me otherwise, there was real anger behind it. Unfortunately, the more quieter & dialogue driven scenes, he didn’t appear to truly commit to each line of dialogue, which I do believe could have been effected by the lack of chemistry that both Harry and Emma had. I didn’t believe him to be terrible as others said, but he could have certainly been a lot better.
Styles aside, everyone but Corrin were all respectfully on the same level. Never seemingly giving it their all and committing to the story, as powerful as it could have been with the right people attached. I felt as though they did bring a lot more likability to each character, despite believing them all to be dislikable people with a lot of glaring flaws about them that create a lot of conflict between me and the story, I felt disconnected. While I did appreciate the beautiful cinematography at times, it wasn’t enough to keep me entertained and engaged. The pacing is rather all over the place, with strange cut back and forward scenes between past and present. It put a big anchor on the film which occasionally turned it into a drag.
The final note that I believe to be one of the most important aspects of this specific film, without diving into spoilers of any kind was the ending. What could have been an emotionally devastating ending, full of passion and love behind the context of every line of dialogue and action is ultimately ruined by how rushed it all felt. Story threads were left unresolved & characters rushed to conclusions or made decisions rather out of nowhere. It never felt whole & as realised as it believed itself to be. The lack of camera movement towards the end took me out, as I fully expected to be engrossed into the sad ending, with a push in of the camera, sitting ourselves beside the characters rather than seen as a spectator.
Overall, I do believe it met my expectations which weren’t the highest going into. While heavily flawed, there is a story that can much be desired by some, with a tender score and comforting cinematography, I can’t deny that I felt some sort of connection with aspects.
