‘London Fields’ a barren tale
Three years after its completion, “London Fields,” which has been mired in fights between its director Matthew Cullen and its 20 or more producers, and lawsuits between the producers and the film’s female lead Amber Heard, arrives. Based on a scabrously funny 1989 apocalyptic novel by Martin Amis, who makes a cowed-looking cameo late in the film, “London Fields” tells the meta-tale of blocked chainsmoking American writer Samson “Sam” Young (Billy Bob Thornton), who meets a clairvoyant femme fatale named Nicola Six (Heard) when he moves into a posh apartment in a London resembling the Los Angeles of “Blade Runner.” The apartment, which is near the colorful Portabello Road pub the Black Cross, belongs to wildly successful British writer Mark Asprey (Jason Isaacs), who leaves a series of mysterious voicemails for Sam during his stay. As riots rage on the streets of a chaotic London, the characters go through their film-noir-ish motions. Nicola claims to know the time and date of her death and who the killer will be. Enamored Sam uses Nicola’s exploits, which involve dart champion and violent thug Keith Talent (an all-in, unrecognizable Jim Sturgess) and Rolls-driving, upper-class banker Guy Clinch (Theo James, “Divergent”), who does not know what the words “Enola Gay” represent, as the basis for his new novel. Thus, Nicola, Keith and Guy and others become characters in Sam’s novel as well as real people. Or are they? Sam by the way is dying. One of the subplots involves Keith’s gambling debts to colorfully menacing London loan sharks, one of whom, Chick Purchase, is played by Amber’s now ex-husband Johnny Depp, who unpacks his Jack Sparrow accent and “Alice in Wonderland” wardrobe. Since “London Fields” was shot, Heard and Depp have been through an ugly divorce. The film really does very little with Nicola’s clairvoyant powers and instead focuses on what she looks like in a great variety of undies and complicated coiffures. At least in this film, Heard is not very compelling as the object of all the male-gaze-centered lust, and her indistinct, girlish voice does not help at all. As Keith’s junkie-looking wife, Kath, Cara Delevingne (“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”) appears in the film for about three minutes, and yet she has second or third billing, suggesting much of her work ended up on the digital cutting room floor. Ditto for model Gemma Chan as Petronella and Jaimie Alexander (TV’s “Blindspot”) as Guy’s wife, Hope. As a novel, “London Fields” was a literary sensation: a dazzling, down and dirty, ridiculously witty, pop culture evocation of the works of James Joyce and Raymond Chandler. Cullen, who has directed three Katy Perry music videos, and makes his feature debut with “London Fields,” seems unsuited to the material. Although the film has a score by Adam Barber (“Ghost Rider”), Benson Taylor (“Hellbilly 58”) and Toydrum (“Future World”), the best moment in it is when Keith dances “Singin’ in the Rain”-style to the Dire Straights hit “Money for Nothing.” That title might also describe the money spent making “London Fields.”
(“London Fields” contains nudity, sexually suggestive scenes, profanity and violence.)