Cinema review
Directed by Gerald McMorrow
Starring Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green, Sam Riley, Bernard Hill
Release date 27 February 2009

Present day London: troubled Emilia (Green) engages in a dangerous art project about suicide; heartbroken Milo (Riley) catches a glimpse of his childhood sweetheart; and Esser (Hill) tries to track down his son. And in the dark metropolis of Meanwhile City, the masked vigilante Preest (Phillippe) rages against an oppressive theocracy and tries to track down a killer...

After perusing the trailer and poster art for Franklyn you’d probably assume that you were in for a dark gothic fantasy in the style of V for Vendetta or The Crow. And the mysterious masked protagonist, Preest, certainly has elements of brooding anti-heroes like V, Batman and even Watchmen’s Rorschach. But Franklyn turns out to be a more unusual film than at first appears.

Much of the movie is actually set in contemporary London (albeit one in which supernatural elements seem to seep through), and revolves around three apparently unconnected characters. As the tormented heroine Emilia, Casino Royale’s Eva Green definitely commands attention, though her style borders a little on self-destructive chic. Sam Riley (Control) is likeable, if a little wet, as nice guy Milo (a direct contrast to Preest), while the desperately searching Esser is played by the always excellent Bernard Hill.

First time director Gerald McMorrow looks to the great tradition of British dramatic filmmaking for these scenes, and it’s a long time before the real life elements begin to slot in with the fantasy side of things. But eventually the plot strands do come together in clever and unexpected ways: it’s best to go into this movie knowing as little as possible beforehand.

Fantasy fans will be relieved to hear that McMorrow and his set designers ensure that the Gilliam-esque sequences in Meanwhile City are suitably atmospheric and striking. The film offers a unique vision of a British metropolis filled with huge churches that tower menacingly above the city, and populated by parading goons in top hats and tails. And at the centre of all this is our cool-looking masked hero, played by a remarkable rage-filled Ryan Phillippe. Impressive stuff, especially considering that Franklyn was made on a fraction of the budget of most Hollywood fantasies. It’s also filled with lovely little ideas like the gaggle of esoteric religions in a marketplace, including one that's based around painting nails.

McMorrow is hardly the first filmmaker to weave fantasy and real life together – see Tideland, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone and Dreamchild amongst others – but he brings the elements together in interesting and original ways. Franklyn does have its problems, including a tendency to romanticise mental illness and dialogue that sometimes borders on the cheesy or self-absorbed. It's also debatable whether it ties all of its plot elements together satisfactorily. But it's so refreshing to see ambitious and original British fantasy filmmaking like this that you can forgive the film its flaws, and hopefully McMorrow’s next feature will be equally intriguing. James Skipp

VERDICT: 6/10
It’s not perfect, but this ambitious fantasy brims with great ideas and visual panache.