DIRECTOR: Malachi Smyth
CAST: Johnny Flynn, Will Poulter, Naomi Ackie, Lydia Wilson, Roger Ashton-Griffiths
RUNNING TIME: 100 mins
CERTIFICATE: 15
BASICALLY…: A pair of criminals (Flynn and Poulter) run into complications at a secluded café…
NOW FOR THE REVIEW…
After the likes of The Beatles, ABBA, Elton John, and even The Proclaimers were all granted their own jukebox musicals (beginners’ definition: a musical where all the songs are pre-existing material by one, or numerous, artists), an unlikely contender to have their songs repurposed for filmic storytelling is the band Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit, fronted by the Operation Mincemeat and The Outfit actor (and one-time David Bowie, but let’s pretend that one didn’t happen) himself. An indie band by nature, to an extent to where you probably weren’t even aware they were a thing before you started reading this review, Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit’s back catalogue serves as the key tunes for writer-director Malachi Smyth’s small-scale crime thriller The Score, and that’s just only one part of what makes the film somewhat unique, but not immediately memorable.
In addition to Flynn providing the songs, the actor also plays Mike, one of two novice criminals that the film focuses on. The other is Troy (Will Poulter), a sweet but absent-minded young lad whose older brother, a pal of Mike’s, has been incarcerated, and is now en route with his more sullen partner to complete a small transaction with a big pay-out for each of them. The exchange is due to take place at a small roadside café, which is where most of the film takes place, but crucially is also where love unexpectedly strikes: almost at first sight, Troy falls for waitress Gloria (Naomi Ackie), as does she after a short while, which begins to complicate Mike’s plan – especially when the audience slowly understands the real reason behind this unusual meeting.
You get the feeling that Smyth is quite the fan of Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, because half the time his film feels like a slightly watered-down version of that film, albeit with the Belgian city replaced with a quiet café somewhere in Hertfordshire, and with a lot more singing. The Score does carry a lot of similar components to McDonagh’s debut feature, like the quirky dialogue, eccentric side characters – a photographer comes by to ask the main characters to take their picture for his art collection – and even a dark-ish climax, but it is an unfair comparison to make because those are near-impossible standards to live up to (though I do hear great things about McDonagh’s next film The Banshees of Inisherin, which actually does feature an In Bruges reunion). Instead, The Score leans into its own brand of idiosyncratic storytelling, which beyond the musical numbers features some surprising moments of joy and laughter, as well as some ambitious editing such as half the climax being done through split-screen. As derivative as parts of the script may feel, there’s no faulting Smyth’s passion for the material, as his often low-key filmmaking shines through in unexpected ways.
His trio of actors help to carry the film with an easy energy, and often get by with a surprising amount of charm. Will Poulter is very good in the film, displaying an easy likeability and understated charisma that surely earned him his upcoming MCU debut as Adam Warlock, and he has good chemistry with Naomi Ackie, who herself does what she can with a character who is sadly not quite as well defined as the two lead males. As for Flynn, his naturally laid-back style of delivery works well here, as his character – almost to a meta degree – is also very understated, and the singer-turned-actor has some fun moments where he just gets to be a colossal dick to nearly everyone he encounters. The film is mostly a three-hander, occasionally with other speaking parts and more than a few non-speaking extras, but it works because all three do put their all in to make the experience as fun and entertaining for their audience as possible.
Ironically, where the film falls flattest is when it actually does become a musical. The trio’s singing capabilities are okay enough, but try as some of them might, they’re never quite as soulful or passionate as they perhaps were intended to be, partly because you can tell that the actors are lip-synching to pre-recorded songs on the set (in a couple of cases, you can barely catch the nanosecond where audio and lips slip out of sync from one another). The songs themselves, while neatly written by Flynn, struggle to fit into the overall narrative for they are mostly mood pieces that express emotion rather than further the plot, which can work sometimes but when most of these songs really aren’t that memorable, it makes it a little harder to figure out what they’re singing about, and why. Sometimes, characters will even burst into song at awkward moments, which tend to shake up the intended tone; there will be a scene where characters shed some tears, and then all of a sudden Will Poulter will start belting out a ballad as though he’s in Les Misérables all of a sudden.
It’s an experiment that doesn’t wholly work, but where it counts The Score manages to, erm, score some crowd-pleasing moments filled with some decent humour, spirited acting and singing performances, and a formidable if all-too-light tone that is sweet, and just savoury enough as well.
SO, TO SUM UP…
The Score is a likeable but light crime thriller musical, which features some fun crowd-pleasing moments and performances, but its songs – courtesy of co-star Johnny Flynn – lack the substance and memorability to fully drive the contained plot forward, despite Flynn and his fellow castmates’ best efforts.
The Score is now showing in cinemas nationwide – click here to find a screening near you!
It is also available to rent/buy on digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video.
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