My Policeman

Based on a novel by Bethan Roberts, My Policeman primarily unfolds in the 1950s and follows Harry Styles’ Tom as he attempts to balance a romantic relationship with both Emma Corrin’s Marion and David Dawson’s Patrick – with the narrative also detailing the exploits of the characters forty year later. Filmmaker Michael Grandage, armed with Ron Nyswaner’s screenplay, delivers a methodically-paced yet mostly engrossing drama that benefits from the stirring efforts of its various performers, as the movie’s three stars, Styles, Corrin, and Dawson, step into the shoes of their respective characters to a degree that remains hypnotic from start to finish – with, additionally, Grandage eliciting superb work from the actors portraying the older versions of the same figures (Rupert Everett’s Patrick, Gina McKee’s Marion, and Linus Roache’s Tom). There’s little doubt, as well, that My Policeman‘s stirring atmosphere is perpetuated by the almost inherently compelling storyline and smattering of gripping sequences, and although the 113 minute runtime does result in a midsection that’s periodically just a little on the static side, the picture builds towards a thoroughly captivating third act that’s capped off with a serious gut-punch of an ending – with the final result a terrific adaptation that is, for the most part, far more spellbinding than one might’ve initially anticipated.

***1/2 out of ****