Welcome to the Punch
IFC Films | Release Date: March 27, 2013
6.1
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 44 Ratings
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Positive:
19
Mixed:
21
Negative:
4
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
DCEdmondsNov 13, 2014
"Welcome to the Punch" 10 Scale Rating: 5.5 (Mediocre) ...

The Good: Great performances from McAvoy, Strong, and Harris. Some of their scenes are just flat out awesome and carry the film. The beginning was well done and grabs your interest"Welcome to the Punch" 10 Scale Rating: 5.5 (Mediocre) ...

The Good: Great performances from McAvoy, Strong, and Harris. Some of their scenes are just flat out awesome and carry the film. The beginning was well done and grabs your interest right off the bat.

The Bad: Sadly, it struggles to keep your interest and becomes a pretty straight forward crime drama. Runs 1:39 but feels much longer as it slows down quite a bit in the middle and towards the end. The ending wasn't very satisfying.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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3
hotcheeseMay 20, 2013
This is one of the most generic movie I've seen this year. The entire cast is not only unmemorable, they are unlikable. Damn Brits aren't very good at making movie....
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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7
hoops2448Apr 25, 2013
A good British action film is hard to come by, one that emulates and builds on old school action directors like John Woo and John McTiernan is even harder. Welcome to the Punch is that film and because of that it is delightful. The filmA good British action film is hard to come by, one that emulates and builds on old school action directors like John Woo and John McTiernan is even harder. Welcome to the Punch is that film and because of that it is delightful. The film follows the events that happen when lifelong criminal Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) returns to Britain to investigate why his son has been attacked. While there he must contend with disenfranchised police officer Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy), someone Sternwood wounded years prior following one of his final heists. Welcome to the Punch isn't the most intelligent action thriller, in fact it can play quite predictable for a majority of its run time. It's not a film that tries to shock but it does try to impress in its writing (mostly successfully) and its performances (entirely successful), but most importantly the direction by Eran Creevy. The action in the film is sublime with an empty nightclub shootout being one of the finest gunfights since heat. The attention to detail is wonderful which adds a sense of realism to the action. Although John Woo Slow-Mo is used it never really feels out of place and gives the film a Max Payne Noir feel (the game not the film, never the film). Then again the film isn't all action, it's firmly placed in the thriller category as well as the film has an excellent sense of pace allowing for emotional moments as well as some very fast paced developments. It's a film that constantly shifts gears and because of that it is never boring and overall it manages to fit in enough great action moments to be a great movie.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
ThegodfathersonMay 15, 2013
The movie overall is successful, as McAvoy and Strong bring seriousness to their characters with strong facial features and gritty personalities. The film, plot wise, was predictable and underdeveloped. Despite those aspects, the film was aThe movie overall is successful, as McAvoy and Strong bring seriousness to their characters with strong facial features and gritty personalities. The film, plot wise, was predictable and underdeveloped. Despite those aspects, the film was a success because of the two great actors, amazingly vivid colors and scenery and gun fights.
The film runs for 99 minutes, which is not long for most movies, but I feel this movie is a few minutes too long, filled with slow, drawn-out, unnecessary scenes that were aimed at contrasting the fast and quick shooting scenes. Also the film is lacking rich or witty dialogue, it is all but nonexistent.
Regardless, the actions scenes are colorful and blood pumping, which is the film's true strength that ultimately justifies watching it. The movie also stars Andrea Riseborough (Oblivion), David Morrissey (The Walking Dead), Jason Flemying (Snatch), and Peter Mullan (War Horse). The film, as you have read, includes many talented and known actors/actress.
Welcome To The Punch is about Max (McAvoy), a headstrong and tough London Cop who has been chasing a infamous criminal Jacob Sternwood (Strong), later to realize there is more going on in the world than Sternwood. I won't spoil the film for anyone.
This flick is good for a rainy day or a weekend movie night. But don't rent it and expect an In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels type of film. Welcome To The Punch is a good film, but slightly predictable and could use more interesting dialogue. Go into this flick to see some great scenery and fun gun fights, but that is all that can be promised. The old school Die Hard british version… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
BrianMcCriticJul 24, 2013
This is a solid film that is a basically told as a very familiar police thriller. The acting is good and the film is shot well with good cinematography, but overall it's nothing special. B-
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
Mr_NoFaceSep 16, 2013
The one BIG thing i like about this film is i got to see it before it was in the cinema and that i got to meet the director he was a good laugh(i know this is not a good reasons for me to like the movie so that's why i'm not using it to addThe one BIG thing i like about this film is i got to see it before it was in the cinema and that i got to meet the director he was a good laugh(i know this is not a good reasons for me to like the movie so that's why i'm not using it to add my ratings up) Right Welcome to the Punch i did enjoy this film but i'm still kind of mixed with it, yeah its a good little action it kept me entertained i do like how the bad guy(Jacob Sternwood) in this film isn't as stupid as a sack of bricks and returns to London for no reason what so ever because he is forced to return to London when his son is involved in a heist gone wrong its also great that they show his crime because then it gives you understanding of what hes done, but this is the real big thing i love about the film its the camera shoots and the grading awh lovely! it looks lovely but its kind of annoying that the rest of the film is not that great like the ending for example its like its an american film with they make two people take on an army with no real struggle that is why i cant stand most american films they make the hero like bloody superman because they have no good ideas oh and they spam there flag every where that's some thing that England doesn't do) but yeah i'm still mixed with it but i still think its better then most american actions… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
timefire44Jan 29, 2015
I've watched it before, and it is as awesome as I don't know what. You see, when they did the casting for this film, I knew the found the perfect choice for the lead role in James McAvoy.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
eva3si0nJun 18, 2023
Welcome to the Punch is a suddenly neonurous action movie. Welcome to the Punch at first glance may seem like a classic B-movie action movie. But then it reveals itself as not a bad neonoir. A simple and already hackneyed topic about crimeWelcome to the Punch is a suddenly neonurous action movie. Welcome to the Punch at first glance may seem like a classic B-movie action movie. But then it reveals itself as not a bad neonoir. A simple and already hackneyed topic about crime and detectives in English entourage. Well, how long have we seen it? And then suddenly the action scenes are shot not badly, and the plot develops dynamically and there are plot twists that work. The acting duo of the main characters is not bad and the ending is not devoid of logic and meaning. Welcome to the Punch looks much better than you expect it from the trailer. If you are tired of A-action movies and the framework of the genre, then Welcome to the Punch is a great example to watch.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
JLuis_001Apr 9, 2018
Frankly it's an empty thriller considering how long it takes to make sense of its conflict and the plot twist with the protagonists feels unreal and even a little ridiculous. I'm surprised that both James MCovoy and Mark Strong have agreed toFrankly it's an empty thriller considering how long it takes to make sense of its conflict and the plot twist with the protagonists feels unreal and even a little ridiculous. I'm surprised that both James MCovoy and Mark Strong have agreed to make a movie like this one.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is an action thriller film, featuring themes including conspiracy, police, heists and flashbacks. Its quite fast paced, starting in the middle of action with a number of people quickly doing a getaway through London on motorbikes at night. It seemed quite slick and gripping based on that initial scene and certainly got my attention to start with. The fact its set at night also adds a sense of mystery and tension. The 'bad guys' sound like fairly typical London gangster types i.e. lugubrious. The camerawork was a little too jerky for my personal liking, during the faster, chase type scenes, it was quite disorientating and I found that frustrating. Some aspects of the plot are a bit predictable but it was tense enough to keep me watching regardless and its not so long as to become overly tedious, which is good - it has a total running time of about an hour and thirty nine minutes, for the record.

Cast wise, the good guy (cop) Max Lewinsky is played by James McAvoy. He comes across as an enthusiastic, up and coming young police officer determined to get his way, while the main villain, Jacob Sternwood, is played by Mark Strong. He is quite burly and intimidating and certainly not someone you'd want to mess with. Other cast emmbers include Andrea Riseborough, who plays Sarah Hawks, David Morissey, who plays Thomas Geiger and Johnny Harris as Dean Warns.

Content wise, the film contains strong language and moderate violence, including gunfire enduced violence but also fist fights and the like. Blood is shown at times and a corpse is also shown on screen at one point. Drug taking is shown if briefly, with someone shown injecting themselves. Otherwise, there's little else liekly to offend, that I was aware of in any case - the film has been given a 15 rating to reflect this.

To me, this came across as a relatively old fashioned British crime drama story but with some reasonable stylish flairs added at times, however the unnecessary jerky camerawork did bother me after a while. The lighting was such that the majority of scenes seemed to have a dark blue tint to it, which I guess was done to add to the urban feel of it, although im not sure it really made a great deal of difference overall. I think if the plot was adjusted in some areas, it would perhaps be a bit more impressive - its not a horrendous film but its certainly not great. I lost interest in the story somewhere between half way and three quarters of the way through, which obviously isn't great. If it helps, I'd say this film is a bit like the films Jason Statham appears in, with some relatively decent special effects and fast scenes but a little bland otherwise, so it didn't impress me too much. There was also a (if but mild/minor) element of sexism that I didn't think much of.

No, I wouldn't especially recommend it. Its not an awful film per se but its hardly very good - I thought it was pretty unmemorable really, although I imagine other people may enjoy it more than I did. It came across as a bit like a long TV programme, only slightly more stylish and slick during the fast paced scenes. The plot isn't entirely original either. Suffice to say, there are better and there are worse films of this type out there but overall I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see it.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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