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Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Bernard Hill, Susannah York, Eva Green, Art Malik, Kika Markham, Richard Coyle, James Faulkner, Stephen Walters, Sam Riley
In the futuristic Meanwhile City, a masked vigilante (Ryan Phillippe) seeks out his nemesis while in contemporary London, an art student (Eva Green) attempts to kill herself, a heartbroken lover (Sam Riley) looks for someone new and a father (Bernard Hill) searches for his son.
This British psychological mystery drama from first time Director,Gerald McMorrow is about as original as you are going to find in terms of movies this year. There are 4 stories with 4 characters that initially seem unrelated. The first story has Preest, an outcast in a strange other worldly city, who is preparing to assassinate the "Individual" who has killed a young girl. The other stories are set in modern day London. The second story has hopelessly romantic Milo who was stood up at the alter, and in despair looking for love. The third story has Emilia continually filming herself trying to commit suicide to upset her mother. And the last story has a father searching for his son John, who has escaped from a mental hospital. As you watch the film switch between all four stories you might be scratching your head wondering what is going on and where this all is headed. As the the film moves along you are able to start putting the pieces of this puzzle together and the ending wraps it all up very nicely. I don't think this is a film for everyone simply because of it's slow pace and demand of your attention but if you can sit and follow the film closely early on it is very rewarding. The film is beautiful to look at, from it's bright colorful modern day cities to it's dark,gritty look of Meanwhile city and the musical score is amazing. The cast is terrific including Ryan Phillippe who does a great job as a at times masked and unmasked rebel to religion, and he made his voice sound cool for the narrating. Sam Riley is also good, and it was great to see him in another thing besides Control, which he was great in. Eva Green also does well and looks pretty stunning. Franklyn is a unique film that takes the genre to another level, do not try and read about this too much before watching it as the experience of following these interesting characters is one that has to be seen. It was a pleasure watching a smart film that challenges you for a change. I hope the Director can continue to make unique films like Franklyn that captivates and mesmerizes like this one does. The DVD and Blu-ray both come with Special Features that include:
Producer,Director and Cast Interviews
Making Of Featurette
Deleted Scenes
Trailer
Released by Image Entertainment
**** Out Of *****