David Dawson, Emma Corrin and Harry Styles in a scene from "My Policeman." (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.)
He gazes at the young man staring at the large canvas before them, and there's no doubt what is happening here. For the museum curator, the work of art that has bewitched him is not a justly celebrated painting by J. M. W. Turner, but the rookie cop who's paid him a visit at work.
It certainly doesn't hurt that it's Harry Styles wearing that uniform. At least not at first.
The setting for the new Prime Video release “My Policeman” couldn't be more picturesque: Brighton circa 1957. Unfortunately, this was not an enlightened time for the love that dare not speak its name, and a friend of Dorothy didn't have to be caught with his pants down to be thrown in the slammer. In many cases, an anonymous whisper would suffice.
Harry Styles in a scene from "My Policeman." (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.)
Roiling emotions, carnal lust and high stakes, set against the backdrop of a seaside resort in England. In other words, this literary adaptation with some familiar faces, a dual timeline and the best of intentions is totally my jam, at least on paper. Sadly, “My Policeman” is a wash, a romantic drama peopled by wax figures, let down at every turn by a feeble attempt at providing its central trio with the semblance of an inner life. The lack of interiority extends to the uninspired mise en scene, which hammers home the pedestrian feel of a TV movie, with grossly overlit photography to match.
Yes, I said trio. Adapted from Bethan Roberts' 2012 novel, “My Policeman” is told from an omniscient storytelling perspective, but a sizable chunk of it unfolds from the point of view of Marion, both in the 1950s and in scenes set 40 years later. Played as a young woman by “The Crown's” Emma Corrin and as senior citizen by Gina McKee, she's a shy schoolteacher smitten with the titular character, Tom, played in his younger years by pop star Harry Styles and an older, still good looking man by “Law and Order's” Linus Roache. About to enter their lives and irrevocably change them is Patrick, the aforementioned museum curator, whom Tom introduces to Marion as a friend and something of a mentor. The character, older than the other two, is played as a younger man by theater and TV vet David Dawson and in his not-so-golden years by Rupert Everett.
Harry Styles and Emma Corrin in a scene from "My Policeman." (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.)
One could argue that allowing so much of the film to take place from the vantage point of a straight woman, an audience surrogate of sorts, does a disservice to the queer men in this triangle, but “My Policeman” is at its most effective when depicting how a hidden bond can be so strong that it can't help but bubble to the surface in subtle ways. Marion may be naïve when she starts dating Tom, but it doesn't take long to notice something is off about her new beau, like the way the strapping lad hesitates when asked to take things further in the physical department.
Director Michael Grandage, working from a screenplay by “Philadelphia” scribe Ron Nyswaner, keeps shifting back and forth between the time periods, taking us into the muted marriage of Marion and Tom after she decides to bring Patrick, now ill and in need of around-the-clock care, back into their lives over Tom's loud objections. It ought to make for powerful, indelible moments, but the scenes set in the 1990s are turgid and flavorless, propelled by insipid dialogue and characters who ought to be far more interesting than they are.
First Photo: Gina McKee and Rupert Everett in a scene from "My Policeman." (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.) Second Photo:Gina McKee and Linus Roache in a scene from "My Policeman." (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.)
At least the scenes in the 1950s show the gradual blossoming of Tom and Patrick's on-the-downlow connection, which Roberts said was inspired by “Howards End” author E.M. Forster's decades-spanning relationship with policeman Bob Buckingham. (Only connect!) The trysts start out in pretty clichéd fashion, as Tom sheepishly agrees to pose for one of Patrick's sketches of “ordinary people.” To his credit, Grandage, a theater director who has made a handful of films, refuses to look away when the clothes come off. The sexytime glimpses are fairly brief, but are nevertheless a sweet respite. They infuse the movie with an intimacy that is conspicuously absent elsewhere. It's almost as if the filmmakers are purposefully keeping viewers at arm's length from these men, prioritizing their depiction of the persecution they suffered instead of surrendering to their romance.
It also doesn't help matters that Styles simply lacks the chops to rise up to the role's demands. The former One Direction member is perfectly adequate during the earlier scenes and has a pleasant enough chemistry with Dawson, a fine actor in search of a better script. But when Tom is required to display his internalized homophobia, Styles is not up to the task. The range simply isn't there. Corrin fares somewhat better, but she's unable to transcend the one-dimensional way Marion has been conceived.
Harry Styles, Emma Corrin and David Dawson in a scene from "My Policeman." (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.)
It's not fair, though, to blame the cast. “My Policeman” belongs in movie jail, not because of the appealing faces in front of the camera, but because of the people on the other side of the lens. They've drained what should have been a ripping yarn of much of its juice. Tom and Patrick are trapped, not just by a society that would treat them like second-class citizens, but by narrative constraints that ultimately flatten the characters into figures in an issue-driven message movie. The way events unfold in both time periods is too tidy.
“My Policeman” has echoes of “Making Love” (1982), another drama depicting the relationship woes of two men and a woman. But that film, imperfect as it is, benefited from the conviction that stars Michael Ontkean, Kate Jackson and Harry Hamlin brought to the table, as well as the genuine risk 20th Century Fox took when they released it. (Can you imagine Disney-owned 20th Century Studios taking a similar gamble? Me neither.)
By contrast, what Grandage and Nyswaner serve up is creaky matinee fare, a staid “Jules and Jim” for the tea and crumpets crowd. It's too ensconced in its “Masterpiece Theater” trappings to generate much heat, or viewer goodwill.
“My Policeman” had its world premiere at the the Toronto International Film Festival back in September. It is now showing across South Florida in limited release, including the Silverspot Cinema in downtown Miami, O Cinema in South Beach and Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas in Coconut Grove. It debuts on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 4.
