The Principles of Lust Movie Review:


Set in the North of England, this intriguing romantic drama starts well then shifts gears so drastically that it loses all its steam. Paul (Newman) is a hapless writer in Sheffield who meets two people who'll change his life: Billy (Warren) is a photographer who lives life on the very edge, shooting pictures of bare-knuckle boxers and indulging in exceedingly illicit quantities of drugs and sex with his stripper girlfriend (Clifton) and others. The second person is Juliette (Guillory), a single mother whose young son Harry (Popplewell) falls for Paul almost as hard as she does. Jump forward a few months: Paul, Juliette and Harry are a happy family, although Paul is starting to feel the pangs of a relationship settling. Where has the lust gone? Well, Billy can certainly help with that!

This is an extremely well-made film--beautifully written, directed, shot, edited and scored--and from the opening scene we know writer-director Woolcock isn't going to pull any punches. She dives into her characters and situations with a refreshing, unblinking honesty, capturing the natural energy in each type of interaction--sexual, violent, emotional. And the cast is good as well, taking us deep into the characters with them. Newman is especially strong, and we vividly feel Paul's frustration, although when he starts acting out his restlessness the film leaves us in the dust. It suddenly becomes a Fight Club-like underworld trawl, replacing the raw animal-like sex with drug trips and brutal pre-teen boxing matches. Interesting, this freaky shift leaves the film suddenly dull and lifeless. We no longer care about anyone when they so obviously don't care about themselves, or each other. While the sharp script examines ideas of masculinity and romance, it fumbles the ball right when it matters most. This is a real pity, because the film shows a lot of potential. But by the end, we just want to get out of the cinema as soon as we can.

Rich Cline

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