London to Brighton (2006)

Desperate to evade an angry pimp, a London prostitute and a young girl flee by train to Brighton after an appointment with a powerful client goes violently wrong.

Director:

Paul Andrew Williams

Writer:

Paul Andrew Williams

Stars:

Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome, Johnny Harris

6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lorraine Stanley	...	Kelly
Georgia Groome	...	Joanne
Johnny Harris	...	Derek
Nathan Constance	...	Chum
Sam Spruell	...	Stuart Allen
Alexander Morton	...	Duncan Allen
David Keeling	...	Charlie
Jamie Kenna	...	Tony
Chloe Bale	...	Karen
Claudie Blakley	...	Tracey (as Claudie Blakely)
Tim Matthews	...	Shane
Louise Appel	...	Debbie
Cat Meacher	...	Street Prostitute
Nick Ewans	...	Kerb Crawler in Car - Brighton
James Beirman	...	Kerb Crawler in Car - London

Storyline

It's 3:07am and two girls burst into a run down London toilet. Joanne is crying her eyes out and her clothing is ripped. Kelly's face is bruised and starting to swell. Duncan Allen lies in his bathroom bleeding to death. Duncan's son, Stuart, has found his father and wants answers. Derek, Kelly's pimp, needs to find Kelly or it will be him who pays. Kelly and Joanne need to get through the next 24 hours alive...

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Plot Keywords:

digging one's grave | brassiere | brighton england | pantyhose | grave digging | 

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Taglines:

Innocence has nowhere to hide

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content, and strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The main characters are from Paul Andrew Williams' short film Royalty (2001). Johnny Harris and Lorraine Stanley reprised their roles as Derek and Kelly, respectively, whilst Nathan Constance and Chloe Bale, who are both featured in the short, took new roles for this film.

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Goofs

There is no Stagecoach bus route from Brighton Station to Brighton beach. To make this journey by bus Kelly and Joanne would have had to get a Brighton & Hove bus.

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Connections

Remade as Vidiyum Munn (2013)

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Soundtracks

Freaks
Performed by Scratch Perverts
Written by Prime Cuts, TY, Dynamite
Courtesy of Scratch Pervert Records
Published by Scratch Pervert Records
(C) 2006 Scratch Pervert Records

User Reviews

Great British film

Being hailed by some as 'the best British film of the century' (Big Issue) and 'British cinema at its best' (The Scotsman) and on the back of several prestigious film award from festivals around the world 'London to Brighton' has a lot to live up to. It doesn't disappoint, dark, violent, gritty and bleak this is what Mike Leigh would be like if he did 18 certificate films with Shane Meadows as his assistant. From the opening sequence of the two main characters bursting battered and bruised into a public toilet it grips like a hand round the throat and only lets up to become uncomfortable, it is certainly an assault on the senses and sensibilities of the cinema audience who take this brutal journey along with the characters on screen. Shot on a relatively low budget but managing to not seem so, the films main tricks are in the editing, jump cuts and flashbacks only adding to the suspense as you begin to piece together the whole sordid story. With some superb acting from the cast, especially Joanne who portrays her vulnerability like Toby Kebbell did in 'Dead Mans Shoes', and a suitably dirty soundtrack the whole thing feels very British. It has the grainy look of 'Get Carter' mixed with the grey of any Ken Loach, the backdrops of dirty streets and dirtier walls only make scenes like the two polystyrene cups blowing in the wind (reminiscent of the carrier bag in 'American Beauty') all the more beautiful. There are of course other nods like a shot that lingers on a doorway for ages instead of showing us what's happening inside which reminded me of a similar shot in Hitchcock's film 'Frenzy'. Although not an easy watch it manages to balance the bloody with the beautiful, the violence with the unlikely friendship between the two main female leads and triumphs just as everyone says as one of the best British thrillers of recent years. London to Brighton deserves to be a huge hit, its bold, its brilliant and its British and it proves once again that we have a thriving film industry packed full of talented people that can still give Hollywood a run for it's money.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

London to Brighton

Filming Locations:

Victoria station, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,700, 10 February 2008

Gross USA:

$6,700

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$449,681

Company Credits

Production Co:

UK Film Council, Steel Mill Pictures, Wellington Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1