Susan Granger’s review of “Dom Hemingway” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
In this British black comedy/crime drama, Jude law plays the hot-tempered, self-destructive titular character, a notorious London safecracker who gets into trouble as soon as he’s released from 12 years in prison. Because he refused to rat on his Russian boss, he’s expecting a generous reward. After relishing three days of utter debauchery with his meditative mate Dickie (Richard E. Grant), they take the train to the south of France, outside of St. Tropez, to visit the posh, countryside villa that belongs to Mr. Fontaine (Demian Bichir), who gives him three-quarters of a million pounds in cash. Predictably, disaster strikes – in the form of a nighttime Rolls Royce car accident and an exotic femme fatale named Pasolina (Romanian model Madalina Diana Ghenea) – launching this crime-caper, interwoven with Dom’s attempts to establish a relationship with his estranged daughter Evelyn (Emilia Clarke), a struggling singer with a young, mute son.
Self-consciously written and directed by Richard Shepard (“The Matador,” “The Linguini Incident”) as a redemption saga, it’s certainly not as compelling as other dramas in this gangland genre, like “Sexy Beast” or “”Two Smoking Barrels.” On the other hand, it gives usually handsome Jude Law (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Alfie,” “Cold Mountain”) an opportunity to gain weight, grease and comb back his hair, sport a double-mutton chop beard and spew crude, vulgar profanities in a Cockney accent. Reportedly, he piled on the extra poundage by drinking 10 Coca-Colas a day. Law obviously enjoys impersonating this abrasively loquacious, lowlife lout, even though no one else seems to care very much about his relentless rants.
It will be a challenge for fans of “Game of Thrones” to recognize Emilia Clarke, who looks nothing like Daenerys Targaryen, the blonde dragon princess she portrays on that popular TV series.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Dom Hemingway” is a dissolute, insufferable 5. Wait for the DVD.
