‘MY POLICEMAN’ Review: Harry Styles-led cast impress in pleasantly decorated but heavy-handed British period drama

Preston Barta // Features Editor

MY POLICEMAN

Rated R, 113 minutes.
In theaters Oct. 21 and releases on Prime Video on Nov. 4.

Harry Styles is set to get steamy once more this fall, and this time he’s donning a 1950s police uniform to lead Michael Grandage’s visually stunning and marvelously acted drama about a young man torn between two lovers. 

Based on Bethan Roberts’ 2012 novel of the same name, My Policeman is an elegant work that doesn’t shirk from the complexity of its source material and grand themes – such as love, sex, memory, betrayal and redemption. However, it’s too lacking in subtlety and nuances to be the major awards contender it appears to be. Stay for the deft performances and warm-as-tea aesthetics and try to forget all the narrative nose-thumping throughout.

The story is told in two timelines. One centers on young school teacher Marion Taylor (Emma Corrin of The Crown fame) and policeman Tom Burgess (Styles), who fall for each other after meeting along the Brighton coast in the ‘50s. Their love blossoms and they eventually wed. But then they meet Patrick Hazelwood (David Dawson of The Last Kingdom), a curator who moved to the area to recover from the death of a lover. Not long after, Patrick and Tom develop feelings for each other and embark on a passionate love affair despite homosexuality being illegal. The triangle of love creates a storm of jealousy that threatens to shatter their arrangements. 

The other part of the tale is set much later, in the late ‘90s, when the three live together. Marion (Gina McKee) is nursing Patrick (Rupert Everett) following a stroke, and Tom (Linus Roache) is on the sidelines, wondering what the future holds. This is where the film begins, and it’s clear a rich history exists among them. The story alternates between these two periods, each with a different but lush color palette. The ‘50s has a warmer and more inviting look, while the ‘90s has a blue tint that makes the images feel worn. The style choices are among the strongest aspects of the film. It’s difficult not to get lost in the overall mood. While devastating acts are happening throughout, Grandage frames and presents the film in a comforting fashion. It fits with the theme of memory.

In many ways, the feeling of My Policeman is not too far off from other works like Atonement and Indignation. Both are set in the past and focus on the decisions people make. This is a fruitful arena in terms of drama that offers much to think about. My Policeman supplies a lot of food for thought: Are we truly making the best decisions for ourselves? Do we lack understanding, and what are the repercussions of what we do? Can we forgive ourselves? These are some of the many questions to kick around in your mind. 

But what this film could have been if it didn’t feel insistent on using dialogue to inform everything it needs to get across and trusted the audience’s observations. There’s such a naturalism and grace to the visuals that one wishes it could have extended this to all the areas of its storytelling.

Across the board, the performances are worthy of note. Many were excited by Styles flexing his acting muscles in last month’s suburban sci-fi thriller Don’t Worry Darling, a film that didn’t give him as much material to truly shine. In this film, he has plenty of room to dazzle, and he does by comparison. He captures the headspace of someone who is torn. But the true MVPs are Corrin and Dawson. As the young Marion and Patrick, they reach emotional levels that leave scars. Likewise, the actors who portray the characters when they’re older do a lot with a little. While they never quite get the scenes that measure as well against the ‘50s segments, each of them makes the transitions feel believable.

In the end, My Policeman has enough pieces to make an impression, even if they don’t snap together to do it complete justice.

Grade: B-