London Road

Not having seen the National Theatre's stage production of "London Road", I was nevertheless aware of the almost universal kudos and numerous awards bestowed upon it. In the wake of such acclaim, any project making the transition to film is faced with an inevitable uphill task: will it retain enough of what made the original so special to its existing fans whilst winning over the uninitiated? The answer here is thankfully in the affirmative. Not only does "London Road" succeed as an audacious piece of film-making on its own terms, it also instils in the viewer a desire to see the original.The theatricality of the piece (a largely bare stage with a small company of actors playing a multitude of roles) has, out of necessity, been replaced with actual physical locations and an extended cast of players each playing specific roles. But the thrill to be garnered from Rufus Norris's assured direction lies in his skill in grounding the film in almost documentary terms whilst simultaneously experimenting with masterly camera movement, framing and editing. Although his previous outing, "Broken", was full of promise, Norris shows here that he has truly arrived as an exciting cinematic talent. True, his familiarity with the material from his early involvement with the National Theatre version more than likely puts him at an advantage, but there is no denying that this is one of the best directed movies of 2015.Much has already been written about the technique behind the creation of "London Road" (actual interviews, with members of a community thrown into the news headlines due to a real-life series of gruesome killings on their doorsteps, put to music to provide the musical numbers), and it is a daring, borderline crazy concept that defies expectation by working brilliantly. The choreography and staging of these numbers on film is energetic and innovative in equal measure, pushing the envelope of the traditional musical and creating something that is both emotional and cathartic, matching the experiences of the characters on-screen as they deal with the tragic events thrust upon them and attempt to rebuild once the dust has settled.As for the acting, Olivia Colman is the centre of attention here and is her usual excellent self. She's a newcomer to "London Road", as are Anita Dobson, who delivers one of the single, most moving lines in the film, and Tom Hardy, giving a cheeky cameo as a dodgy taxi driver. But the backbone of the piece is the presence of the original, award-winning cast members: a drum roll and continued curtain calls, please, for Howard Ward, Nick Holder, Kate Fleetwood, Michael Shaefer, Nicola Sloane, Paul Thornley, Claire Burt, Rosalie Craig, Claire Moore, Hal Fowler and Duncan Wisbey - all absolutely fantastic here, inhabiting their roles so completely and convincingly, and, in doing so, contributing immeasurably to the success of one of the most remarkable British films in recent memory.

Very up setting way to tell the story of them poor girls

It's lost a little bit from the stage show but it's still a powerful experience. Tom Hardy is only in it for about five minutes, but his song is very powerful and I like the change of it from the funny pub conversation in the stage show to this much more sinister feel of a taxi driver talking to his passenger.Primary changes to the movie from the show:Everyone is Very Very Nervous is the first song as the show is now chronological.Good Evening, Welcome is set during the trial and is not a year after the event so the text is slightly changed to reflect this.They Like A Good Moan has been cut entirely.Thankfully, Cellular Material is still in, performed by the actor who played the role on stage, and it's just as glorious.Kate Fleetwood now plays one of the prostitutes and her non-verbal performance is stunning, the ending is fantastic thanks to her. It ends with the actual interviews like the show, but you get to hear more of it, like the source interviews for It Could Be Him and And That's When It All Started.Sure, it's a special interest thing, but if you are interested in musicals as a genre, this is an important, ground breaking piece of theatre that's translated well to the screen. I'm sure it will influence future work in the genre.

Interesting. Did not know this had been made into a play but watched this as it happened only about 35 miles from where I lived at the time so was well aware of the happenings going on. I also worked at the prison that held him until he came to trial so that also made me probably more interested. It was a clever film/play that looked into the lives of the people who lived in the area.

I would have given it a 1 star rating but I thought that was unfair given I didn't make it past the first half hour.It was just so odd. I enjoyed Sweeney Todd so it's not the musical film element. Admittedly I only brought it because I'm a massive Tom Hardy fan and his appearance was brief.

This is the first musical of this type that I have watched on Amazon and I enjoyed it. I was attracted to this because Tom Hardy and Olivia Coleman were in it, and I also had an interest in the storyline, as Ipswich is not that far from where I live. I thought it was brilliantly choreographed, and the fact that it used the exact words by those affected gave it an extra interesting twist. I don't think it was disrespectful to the victims or their families, I found it quite emotive and it drew upon a different aspect of the murders, giving the viewpoints of the occupants of London road in the aftermath of the horrors. I thought it was a nice touch to have some of the actual recordings played as the credits rolled by. Giving London Road a one star for being a musical is like giving Stephen King a one-star review for writing horror. It's fairly clear from the description that this is a musical. Watch the trailer and if it seems like your cup of tea, give it a go.

This was an amazing and very disturbing film. Viewing this as an outsider (from US), I am blown away by the effort put into this production. I will admit that I ordered the film simply based on the who was in it but I am SO glad to have seen it. Unfortunately if I am ever in England again, I will never go anywhere near Ipswich (London Road) - the residents are the ones who frightened me.In the DVD extras comments are made about this being a film about a neighborhood healing itself. I couldn't get that from the film - what they needed to heal was their loathe-some attitude toward the prostitutes (living and dead). Nobody wants to see that near their homes but rude comments and obvious aggressive behavior doesn't solve a social issue. Trying to help them CAN help. That said, it was still an amazing film.

Très moyen...des chansons génériques et surtout un Tom Hardy avec un très faible temps de présence, même pas 5 minutes, une toute petite scène où il chante cela dit, c'est assez drôle à regarder. Vous êtes prévenus, pour les fans de Tom Hardy (que je suis), c'est décevant.

très bien

Endlich nach langem Warten ist sie gekommen die DVD ,Ein sehr außergewöhnlicher Film.Hat sehr viel spaß gemacht dies anzusehen vielen Dank

Un peu déçue.... C'est un film chanté mais un peu répétitif à mon goût. J'ai quand même tenu jusqu'au bout !

A loving film representation of what was, on stage, one of the most memorable theatrical events I have ever seen. It is a totally unique "musical" where the melodies and rhythms are derived from recorded interviews of the actual residents of London Road. As good as the film is, the impact of the original National Theatre of Great Britain production stays with me. The film is wonderfully, lovingly translated from the stage by a first rate cast and production team --- a labor of love, I suspect. An absolutely unique experience.