Dom Hemingway

 
Art & Culture

Dom Hemingway sounds great on paper – black comedy with Jude Law and Richard E Grant, but the film itself is as clumsy and misguided a piece of work as I have seen in a long time.

It seems to be mainly an excuse for Jude Law to shout and swear a lot in a cockney accent, while wearing dpdgy side whiskers. It all starts with him giving full vent to his own narcissism as he is given a blow job in prison. This involves a lot of bollocks about his cock – if you’ll pardon the pun. 

Then he’s released after 12 years, and proceeds to go and beat the shit out of a guy who married his ex-wife (now dead). Then it’s off for a drink with his mate Dickie (Richard E Grant) before they both head to the South of France for an encounter with Mr Fontaine, the Russian gangster on whose behalf he kept schtum and went to prison for 12 years. Cue more swearing, drinking and blokeish behaviour (dull, repetitive and annoying), before an abrupt plot U turn takes us out of Sexy Beast territory and back to Blighty for some more swearing, drinking, violence and sentimentality. There’s a long lost daughter who he has to try to reconnect with and a young black gangster whose cat he killed. It’s that arbitrary.

I’m amazed that anyone was willing to put up money for an underwritten and poorly thought out piece of rubbish like this, let alone actors like Law and Grant signing up to appear in it. It’s truly awful, and I recommend you to avoid it like the plague.

3/10

Phil Raby

Front Row Films

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