In an effort to turn the dark literary layers of Martin Amis’s 1989 novel into a visual spectacle, Mathew Cullen directed London Fields in 2018. The film’s neo-noir undertones blend with metaphysical reflections and imagines London as a dystopia, integrating a murder mystery where protagonists grapple with their existence’s meaning. This seductive narrative was complemented by a glossy veneer and an ensemble cast of A-list performers, including Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, and Theo James. Unavoidably, due to legal problems, production issues, and lack of coherent narrative, the film became infamous for its controversies rather than the actual plot.
Synopsis
As Amber Heard plays the lead character Nicola Six, who is a clairvoyant femme fatale predicting her own murder on her 30th birthday. London Fields explores the world of London on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. The futuristic narrative follows Six as opting for a strategic battle rather than evasion, she sets her sights on strategically eliminating three men who she believes are her potential murderers.
A terminally ill American writer suffering from a deep and perpetual writer’s block narrates his own story – Samson Young (Billy Bob Thornton). After swapping homes with a fellow novelist, he begins to fixate on Nicola, the London local. Nicola marks the goal of his final literary venture as she encapsulates the ideal mix of seduction and manipulation needed for artistic genius. As he voyeuristically observes the relationships she shares with three men, blurring the lines of voyeurism and participation, they captivate his senses, and capture with spellbinding elegance.
The spellbound men in no particular order:
Jim Sturgess’ Character Keith Talent is a cheap shot feminine darts player turned criminal.
Guy Clinch portrayed by Theo James is a banker whose exploits are as restricted as his emotions. He is wealthy, but shackled by an emotionless marriage.
Last but not least, we have the very man looking to piece the tale together, Samson Young. The narrative control he had over the story slowly unravels as he becomes more and more obsessed with Nicola.
While seduction deceit and metaphysical introspection intertwine through the plot, it draws nearer and nearer to Nicola’s prophecy and eventual outcome. Right until the movie’s climax, the identity of the killer remains hidden.
Several Performers and Themes
Herd captures the roled of Nicola Six with astonnishing detachment, seductively displaying a calculated coolness. Although indelibly beautiful and critical in moving the tale forward, Nicola lacks emotionally engraged performance, and instead appears like a striking stylistic element to the plot.
Billy Bob Thornton as Samson Young: Thornton’s introspective and restrained performance as the dying writer is just as appropriate. Aged and weary, he observes the characters with a detached, yet gentle tone, giving the narration little emotional depth, which obfuscates the motivations behind his character.
Jim Sturgess as Keith Talent: Sturgess animates the part of the wildly energetic and vulgar criminal, delving into the role with maniacal exuberance. Unlike the other characters in the film, his character embodies energy and brings a jarring flare to the film’s subdued atmosphere.
Theo James as Guy Clinch: The cold and distanced financier is also portrayed by James. His explanation as to why he is the understudied character is that the man was almost entirely blank slate.
Cara Delevingne as Kath Talent, Keith’s wife, and Jason Isaacs as Mark Asprey, the novelist who spots his apartment to Samson, both possess supporting masks that cultivate the strange, fractured nature of this motion picture.
Direction and Style
Mathew Cullen, as the director, applies a sleek and hyper-accelerated aesthetic blending noir and dystopian features in London Fields. The cinematography is exceedingly ambitious in a late 90s London setting with moody lighting and framing that borders on the surreal. The flowing imagery captured bursts of dark stylings, but often lacked substantial depth making the scenes akin to music videos more than integral storytelling components.
The aim of the film adaption is centered around a multi-narrative structure where one character acts as storyteller to the tale they’re both living. It works in the novel where there’s enough room for internal monologues and layered prose to shine, but the film lacks character arcs and interactions that would logically intertwine. With no development, the result is confusion instead of intrigue.
Production Challenges
The transition from script to film for London Fields was anything but a smooth ride. It was initially set for release in 2015 before being pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival due to conflict between the director and the producers. Cullen sued the producers for what he claimed was deconstruction of his version of the film, with the producers countersuing claiming breach of contract.
At the same time, the production company sued her for breach of contract concerning promotional activities as well as the claws of nudity and editing cuts of the film, which she had supposed to play. Heard brought a counter lawsuit on the grounds that her scenes were edited in a manner that violated the consent she had given and wrongful portrayal of her character. All the legal conflicts postponed the premiere of the film and added smoke to the already existing fire of controversy that blew the waters and eclipsed the importance of the film’s content.
Critical Reception
London Fields no doubt became the butt of all criticism when it was released in 2018. with a bold faced failure slap to it as critics claimed London Fields completely misused and butchered Amis’s novel to film adaptation with incoherent plot and lack of narrative clarity, as well as its shallow and pretentious tone
The film faced backlash for focusing too much on style and philosophy at the expense of coherent narrative. Pacing and lethargic dialogue overshadowed fatalistic elements such as control within a story or voyeuristic ethics. Critics were split over the film, with some labeling it over-directed and underwritten, while others deemed it “a stylish mess” or “a noir without soul.”
Commercial Performance and Box Office
The film performed dismally at the box office, grossing a mere $500,000 worldwide, making it one of the lowest earning wide releases in U.S. box office history. With a reported budget of $8 million, London Fields suffered considerable box office failure. During its opening weekend, the film grossed under $200,000 from over 600 theaters, which, combined with the poor marketing, signals critical backlash toward the film.
Conclusion
A modern take on philosophy in neo-noir style cinema, seduction and fate are London Fields’ underlying themes, yet the execution fails to properly align with the storyline. The film serves as a warning about the difficulties of adapting complex literature—a task that primarily revolves around internal monologues woven into intricate narratives—from literature to film.
Despite the committed performances, the ambitious vision for the film, rife with off-camera conflict, ultimately leads to its undoing. Whether a follower of the novel or interested in studying the London Fields film, students of film may still find value in it, albeit imperfect, through the exploration of the failures that occur when a vision is not aligned with its execution.
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