Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
When notorious criminal Jacob Sternwood is forced to return to London, it gives detective Max Lewinsky one last chance to take down the man he's always been after.
Welcome to the Punch is a visually striking British crime thriller that leans heavily on its slick, neon-drenched cinematography — London shot like a Nordic noir with vivid blues and blacks — which is genuinely its standout quality. The acting is serviceable with James McAvoy and Mark Strong both competent, though the material limits them. The plot is a fairly generic cat-and-mouse conspiracy thriller that never transcends its formula, with a convoluted third act that fails to pay off the setup. Novelty is low — despite the polished surface, the story beats are derivative of better genre entries. The ending is a disappointment, resolving threads in an unsatisfying and predictable manner.