DOM HEMINGWAY: Dark Comedy with Heart

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Tuesdays mean cheap movies, so I decided to pop into to Carlton Cinemas and randomly picked "Dom Hemingway". I knew absolutely nothing about it other than its genre (dark comedy), lead actor (Jude Law) and also, that Daenarys Emilia Clarke was supporting. 


Anyone who knows me knows that dark comedies are my favourite genre. There's nothing like the witty play on terrible situations and awful people to get my interest. Dom Hemingway is no exception. 

Richard Sheppard, director of "Girls" and "The Matador", wrote and directed this hilarious homage to dirty London dark comedies - Guy Ritchie would be proud. Not only does Dom Hemingway load up the audience with commentary on life after prison but the excellent writing allows us to see what everyone experiences: getting old, being irrelevant.

The chemistry between these two is amazing.
Jude Law plays the titular character, a safecracker with magical fingers who has served 12 years in prison for remaining silent. On the day of his release he is let out into the modern world of London - first stop? To beat the man who married his wife to a bloody pulp. 

Freedom in the civilized world quickly spirals from there. Dom meets with his best friend/partner, Dickie (played by a marvelous Richard E. Grant) and is brought to France to meet with Mr. Fontaine, his old boss that he protected and served jail time for. You're ensured a crazed night with liquor and cocaine; a beautifully shot, slow-motion car accident, and the loss of riches. 

Dom is a notorious criminal who is hungry for payment after 12 years of imprisonment... the only thing that scares him now is his estranged daughter, Evelyn.

This is what separates Dom Hemingway from being just a witty, dark comedy about some Cockney convicts doing the "get rich or die trying" plot. The complexity of Dom is a great vehicle for Jude Law's subtlety while playing a larger than life character. Many times his performance can speak for itself, showing the pain and incredulity at his life circumstances. Dom's greatest flaw is not knowing what's important in life and that is definitely a lesson that is knocked right into the audience's head. Don't let that stop you from watching the film, it's not a morality tale - it's more of a wake up call to all of us.

The genre has become scarce in movie theatres and festivals but this film gives me hope that more black comedies will be popping up in the future. I was thoroughly impressed with the writing, acting and plot - this is a dark comedy with heart.

TRAILER FOR DOM HEMINGWAY

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