Review - My Policeman
Directed by: Michael Grandage
Written by: Ron Nyswaner
Starring: Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, Gina McKee, Linus Roache, David Dawson, Rupert Everett
Running Time: 113 minutes
Rating: 4/5
My Policeman is an all-too familiar story, but careful direction and nuanced acting keep this movie afloat.
Set in the late 1950’s, the film based on the 2012 book by Bethan Roberts is a love story centering on the relationship between two gay men and the woman who is caught in the middle. Young Marion Taylor (played by The Crown’s Emma Corrin) has set her eyes on simple, but aiming to improve himself policeman Tom Burgees (played by little known actor Harry Styles). Burgess however has already caught the eye of museum curator Patrick Hazlewood (David Dawson), a love that he reciprocates as clandestinely as he can.
As suspicions and pressure grows on Burgess he ultimately settles on marrying Marion in hopes of settling into a life of heteronormativity. But the call of his true desires is too strong and his inability to break free of the triangle, ends with tragic ramifications for all involved. To say that the misery of being queer in years past is unexplored territory would be a lie. But there is something special about My Policeman. Whether intentional or not, the three main characters navigate the lines between being right and wrong bouncing back and forth at different times, often with the shades of greys highlighting their more interesting characteristics.
Corrin and Dawson in particular are spectacular when it comes to showing the hidden meaning behind their words. Styles, unfortunately, is often outpaced by his more experienced scene partners. But worry not Directioners, what he is unable to convey in his delivery of words, he makes up for with body language. Every touch and reaction to being touched rings true as Tom Burgess tries to find the right balance between giving in and giving up.
“Every touch and reaction to being touched rings true as Tom Burgess tries to find the right balance between giving in and giving up. ”
The time jumps to the present are appropriately spaced out, never letting either side of the story get too far, or get too boring. While Rupert Everett is afforded less space as the older version of Patrick Hazlewood (which he still knocks out of the park, in particular in one final scene), Linus Roache and Gina McKee are incredibly capable of continuing the thread started by their younger castmates. Director Michael Grandage deserves praise for striking the perfect balance between the past and present scenes, so that neither feels like a momentum killer.
Overall, My Policeman could be criticized for retelling a story we’ve seen quite often, but judging it on its own merits, it's easy to see the love and care that the cast and crew wanted to convey in putting together this story. Perhaps we should give grace to those searching to find a way to convey this narrative. There was no perfect way to live during those times, staying within limits placed by society and there’s no perfect way to tell the very real stories of all the people who were impacted during that time.
