Director: Richard Shepard.
Starring: Jude Law, Richard E. Grant, Demian Bichir, Emilia Clarke.
Running Time: 93 minutes.
Certificate: 15.
Synopsis: DOM HEMINGWAY tells the story of a criminal who spends a lengthy term in the slammer, keeping his mouth shut to protect his former employer. However, when he’s released after a lengthy twelve year jail term, he takes a trip to the continent to collect what he feels he’s owed.
If Danny Dyer were an ex-con, more poetic, a bit more unhinged, put on a few pounds, swore more, and looked like Jude Law, then he would be Dom Hemingway. The character is a marvel to watch, and although seemingly miscast, Law is perfect in this role. He is truly a delight from the interesting, direct-to-camera opening monologue in which Hemingway beautifully describes his manhood in very intimate, exact and graphic detail, all the way through to the film’s climax.
The film is brought to the screen by filmmaker Richard Shepard, a director who made an impressive impact in 2005 with the Pierce Brosnan starring THE MATADOR. Shepard has been absorbed in the television world in the years since – save a very low-key 2007 release starring Richard Gere – helming the pilot of Ugly Betty, and episodes of Girls and Criminal Minds. Despite having success on the small screen, it is a shame that we haven’t seen more of his talents in features, as DOM HEMINGWAY is an almost perfect accompanying piece to the brilliant MATADOR.
The film has a very strong opening third with some brilliantly written dialogue (also by Shepard), particularly during Hemingway’s interactions with a return-to-form Richard E. Grant and mob boss Mr. Fontaine (Demian Bichir) in a scene which will have you shifting your bottom in your cinema seat, cringing and laughing all at the same time. The film suffers from then on in and seemingly runs out of steam as Hemingway’s world changes once again, with the final reel of the film nowhere near as satisfying as the previous. The simple fact of the matter is that Hemingway’s road to recovery isn’t as interesting as his destructive intentions early on, and some of the other supporting characters aren’t as engaging or as developed as the title character and Grant’s one-handed, camp-as-Christmas Dickie.
Dom Hemingway the character, played by Jude Law the actor, is possibly one of the greatest creations in film of the past few years, possibly since Ben Kingsley’s comparable turn in the similarly themed SEXY BEAST. It really is a shame that DOM HEMINGWAY the film fails to match its star in terms of story or substance.
DOM HEMINGWAY is released in UK cinemas on Friday 15th November.
