Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2014 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-06-22
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 94 minutes

Synopsis
Directed by music video helmer Gerald McMorrow and taking its lead from tales of dystopian futures such as V FOR VENDETTA and 1984, FRANKLYN's narrative is split between two parallel worlds; contemporary London and the the fantastical Meanwhile City. The film weaves a complex, facinatinating tale in which the fates of four people, living in these seemingly disparate realities, collide. A renegade masked vigilante, a pious father in search of his son, a beautiful but disturbed young art student, and a man broken-hearted after being jilted at the alter; a single bullet will determine the destiny of all.

Ryan Phillippe (THE FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, WAY OF THE GUN), Eva Green (CASINO ROYALE, THE DREAMERS) and Sam Reilly (CONTROL, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE) co-star in this nightmarish futuristic thriller.

Customer Reviews

Not what I expected it to be
FRANKLYN is split between the parallel realities of modern day London and the futuristic metropolis of Meanwhile City, The film follows the lives of four characters - Jonathan (Ryan Phillippe) is a masked vigilante who won't rest until he finds his nemesis, Duplex Ride's dangerous leader known as The Individual. Emilia (Eva Green) is a troubled student whose suicidal art projects may turn out to be deadly. Milo (Sam Riley) is a heartbroken after his fiancé leaves him at the altar and is now trying to get in contact with his first love. Peter (Bernard Hill) is searching desperately for his missing son amongst London's homeless shelters.

This is a hard one to review really as while I was watching this it didn't make a whole lot of sense what was going on and I was therefore finding it difficult to enjoy. However, after it had finished it made a lot more sense and now thinking back on it, it was actually a pretty well made and clever film. It wasn't at all what I expected it to be as I thought it would be something like SIN CITY or WATCHMEN but it was very different from those. Although it did have the gothic superhero-like setting in the Meanwhile City parts of the film, it wasn't completely the same style as those as it was more character-focused as opposed to crime fighting or whatever.

The acting wasn't too bad, nothing groundbreaking but it did work. The script was also nothing spectacular but the plot was very clever with a couple of twists and one that was particularly shocking. The setting in futuristic Meanwhile City was very well designed and had a very dark and depressing feel to it which I found really reflected each of the characters emotions in the modern day, brighter London.

Overall I think this is one that needs 2 watches to be fully appreciated as the first time round it is more confusing than enjoyable.

Somehow, it works...
This is a strange film. The first time I watched it, after about 20 minutes, I thought I'd made a mistake - it seemed directionless and disjointed. But I stuck with it. At the end, I thought 'I've got to watch that again'.

The second time I watched it, I was engrossed from the beginning. It is a really beautiful film, and so, so sad. It's about four damaged people. It's about delusion and illusion. A girl who is trying to make suicide into an art form, a young man whose fiancée didn't turn up for their marriage, a man looking for his son and mourning the death of his daughter. All these people inhabit a thoroughly mundane London. But the fourth lives in Meanwhile City - where everyone, except him, has a religion and non-believers are hunted by the police. The police look like old-fashioned 'Peelers' with high top-hats and dark glasses. Meanwhile City is very reminiscent of Brazil. But the religions are not fanatical - how about 'The Seventh Day Manicurists' - it's simply that you must have one.

The story cuts from the dark, Gothic Meanwhile City straight to the broad daylight concrete ordinariness of Centre Point - it's really jarring and unwelcome, but slowly the stories start to intertwine, the motives and backgrounds start becoming clearer - and the gradually unfolding tragedy becomes more and more compelling. And the end had me in tears.

It's not a sci-fi film, whatever it may be billed as. It's a story about damaged people trying to make sense of what's happened and is happening to them - it's just extreme.

Honestly, it's a mess of a film but it's somehow beautiful, entrancing too. It stays with you. I've got to watch it again.

Utter nonsense
I fully expect to be slated for giving this DVD a negative review, as there are obviously a lot of fans out there who won't bear to see someone review their baby objectively. Anyhow, life is far too short to watch this film once - let alone twice, especially when there are so many movies out there that are actually worth watching. Pretentious from the word go, this mishmash of Gothic cliche and the humdrum left me utterly cold. Avoid like the plague.