Franklyn (2008)

59% of critics liked it
(29 reviews)
44% of users liked it
(4,503 ratings)

Director/screenwriter Gerald McMorrow makes his feature debut with this ambitious psychological sci-fi drama set between contemporary London and the dystopic Meanwhile City, where the separation between church and state has been obliterated to make way for a religion-dominated society. As atheist… More Director/screenwriter Gerald McMorrow makes his feature debut with this ambitious psychological sci-fi drama set between contemporary London and the dystopic Meanwhile City, where the separation between church and state has been obliterated to make way for a religion-dominated society. As atheist vigilante Jonathan Preest (Ryan Phillippe) prepares to seek revenge against Meanwhile City's powerful leader, privileged artist Emilia (Eva Green) finds her cynicism and depression accelerated by the difficult relationship she shares with her mother. Meanwhile, sensitive Milo (Sam Riley) attempts to recover from a recent heartache, just as deeply religious Peter (Bernard Hill) arrives in London to search for his missing son, a haunted Gulf War veteran. As the narrative shifts between the real and imaginary worlds, McMorrow explores the complex relationships between fantasy, faith, and love. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Gerald McMorrow
Written By: Gerald McMorrow
Genres: Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Oct 16, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Nov 17, 2009
Studio: Contender

Critic Reviews

Derek Elley, Variety
A clever idea that could have worked as a novella, the urban-fantasy-cum-sci-fier Franklyn doesn't cut it by the bigscreen rulebook.
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile
Ultimately it doesn't quite work, but along the way it is easy to be somewhat sucked in, especially by Eva Green's suicidal artist and Sam Riley's emotionally shattered dreamer
Edward Porter, Times [UK]
Franklyn is wonky and self-defeating: there are lots of gauche moments. Still, it's entertaining, and commendable for its strangeness.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
Franklyn is puzzling in a way some may think tiresome and others intriguing. Gerald McMorrow, whose first feature this is, has talent, but just as he starts tying up the loose ends, the film unravels.
Allan Hunter, Daily Express
If ambition and flair were the only hallmarks of a five-star film then Franklyn would be top of the class.
Richard Edwards, SFX Magazine
Look past the odd shortcoming in the storytelling, and there's a brave movie here, one that's prepared to tackle some weighty issues about religion and obsession.
Joe Utichi, IGN Movies UK
Marks McMorrow as a director to watch, one unafraid of taking risks and going against the grain of the British film industry. It's not for everyone, but surrender to the limitless ambition and off-kilter tone and it's an engaging 100 minutes.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
An admirably non-formulaic drama, which manages to reconcile the opposed British film traditions of contemporary, realistic, low-key character drama with eccentric, flamboyant, Gothic fantasy. It certainly marks out McMorrow as a talent to watch.
Nigel Floyd, Time Out
'Franklyn' has conceptual boldness and visual imagination that set it apart from the pack.
Jon Fortgang, Film4
McMorrow's ideas may be too damn bold and expansive for Franklyn to succeed on every level, but it's a striking debut from a writer-director unafraid to reach as high as he can.
Wendy Ide, Times [UK]
It's a convoluted piece of storytelling that repays more on a visual level than on a logical one. But you can't fault its ambition and imagination.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
He is aiming high. And yet, to use a recondite and specialist critical term, this film is massively up itself.
John Dunning, Little White Lies
The spiralling plot lines slowly weave together with real dexterity, resulting in a payoff that's as unexpected as it is satisfying. A cracking sci-fi brainteaser.
Simon Reynolds, Digital Spy
The attempts to compress so many themes into such a short space of time end up making Franklyn seem like it's leapt from the imagination of Garth Marenghi. Ultimately, McMorrow's over-ambitious debut is a beautiful mess.
Tim Evans, Sky Movies
You have to give the debut director his due for an absurdly ambitious attempt to do something genuinely different in an age cursed with tired formula and dollar-obsessed convention.
Jonathan Dean, Total Film
Frustrating. Not as clever as it thinks it is, but often far better looking than you'd expect. You have to laud McMorrow for a brazen Brit debut that isn't either A) a horror or B) takes place in a gang.
Mark Adams, Sunday Mirror [UK]
This bold and complex British fantasy-drama is an impressive debut for writerdirector Gerald McMorrow.
David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]
Franklyn is an ambitious sci-fi film that squeezes every penny from its 6m budget and throws it onto the screen to create a terrific futuristic cityscape. Kudos for that, yet no amount of good looks can hide the fact it's almost unwatchable.
, Sun Online
What is real, what is fiction and why should I care? That is what you will be asking yourself for the first 70 minutes of this strange film.
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
It takes a quarter of the movie's duration to start detecting its drift, another quarter to start caring. The fantastications have a stronger wallop than the realism.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

I feel a bit bad for giving this film such a low rating, especially as I thought it was a really clever and original idea. The visualisation of Jonathan Preest's alter-ego in his imagined (exaggerated) world of Meanwhile City is great stuff, touching on the mental issues… More
I feel a bit bad for giving this film such a low rating, especially as I thought it was a really clever and original idea. The visualisation of Jonathan Preest's alter-ego in his imagined (exaggerated) world of Meanwhile City is great stuff, touching on the mental issues returning solders have intertwined with religious guilt - possibly heightened by the resent 'War on terror' - I don't know. I had no real problem with the switching from fantasy to reality per se, it's just that many of the sub-plots were pretty pointless and did not amount to anything close to the payoff the build up hinted towards. The end is such an anticlimax you start to wonder why you even bothered, which is such a shame because I still believe the foundations of this film are some of the most ingenious I've seen for quite some time. It would have made one hell of a graphic novel but as far as the film, it's was far too ambitious and I'm sad to say, it fails. I love it and hate it in equal measure but I only hate it so much because I love it so much, that's why I'm right down the middle on this one.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green, Sam Riley, Bernard Hill, Jay Fuller, Art Malik, Kika Markham, Gary Pillai, Susannah York Director: Gerald McMorrow Summary: In the futuristic Meanwhile City, a masked vigilante (Ryan Phillippe) seeks out his nemesis while in contemporary London,… More
Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green, Sam Riley, Bernard Hill, Jay Fuller, Art Malik, Kika Markham, Gary Pillai, Susannah York Director: Gerald McMorrow Summary: In the futuristic Meanwhile City, a masked vigilante (Ryan Phillippe) seeks out his nemesis while in contemporary London, an art student (Eva Green) attempts to kill herself, a heartbroken lover (Sam Riley) looks for someone new and a father (Bernard Hill) searches for his son. Writer-director Gerald McMorrow sci-fi drama follows these desperate individuals as their lives become intertwined by fate. My Thoughts: "Completely through me for a loop, and I felt so lost for the majority of the film. Then by the end comes the AHA moment and all makes since in that world. Very interesting movie. Eva Green is the star of the film though. Her acting was so tormented and beautifully done. I loved the look of the gothic dark city. It was depressingly beautiful. I can't say I loved the film, but it was and is worth the watch."
Daniel J D

It's not groundbreaking but it is interesting. I really liked the Meanwhile City sets and costumes. And the score wasn't too bad.
Dean M

This shuffles together a fantastical, comic-bookish vision of life in the strange world of Meanwhile City and runs it parallel to a story set in present-day London. This story made me confused and looked really strange. The fantasy action suffers from wobbly choreography, and the… More
This shuffles together a fantastical, comic-bookish vision of life in the strange world of Meanwhile City and runs it parallel to a story set in present-day London. This story made me confused and looked really strange. The fantasy action suffers from wobbly choreography, and the backstory traumas are, disappointingly, merely textbook plot devices - but it's well acted by all.
Carlos M

Gerald McMorrow takes a bold shot in his directing debut, making an ambitious film with quite an original idea. However, the story starts so complex and hard to comprehend that, by the time it reaches one hour, it is already too confusing to make us care.
Justin Y

Gerald McMorrow's drama thriller, Franklyn, is a bit of a mixed bag.There are multiple subplots to this picture. One is told in a film noir style with a futuristic metropolis as a setting, while the rest take place in contemporary London and told in a… More
Gerald McMorrow's drama thriller, Franklyn, is a bit of a mixed bag.There are multiple subplots to this picture. One is told in a film noir style with a futuristic metropolis as a setting, while the rest take place in contemporary London and told in a slow dramatic way. The thing with this is that all of these subplots feel apart from each other and it is like watching separate movies being told simultaneously. There is a sense that a connection is there, but it isn't possible to make. However, ever so slowly, the story unravels and things begin to make sense. This is then followed by an intriguing conclusion.The futuristic metropolis subplot can be deceiving. It is not an action extravaganza with high tech gadgets. Remember, it is one of multiple subplots, so it's not that this film is a full blown science fiction thriller.Eva Green is the star of the show. She has a chance to play a couple characters, each with a different personality, which allows her to show her versatility as an actress. Ryan Phillippe and Sam Riley are decent enough with their characters.In the early going Franklyn isn't an easy film to pick up, but with some patience it turns out better than it seems.
Conner R

An extremely complex and imaginative story that is well ahead of its time. While I can't give it five stars due to the fact that it has some technical issues, it is probably one of the best movies of 2009. The ideas of economic and social change as well as religion is completely… More
An extremely complex and imaginative story that is well ahead of its time. While I can't give it five stars due to the fact that it has some technical issues, it is probably one of the best movies of 2009. The ideas of economic and social change as well as religion is completely original. In comparison to a similar looking film, Dark City, it goes far beyond a simple blend of sci-fi and noir and gives you a completely new way of thinking.
A.D. V

The Meanwhile City stuff is just top notch and if the whole film had taken place there I would be raving it right now. Instead I'm scratching my head wondering what the hell I just watched. My only explanation is someone took a script about "parallel worlds" then they… More
The Meanwhile City stuff is just top notch and if the whole film had taken place there I would be raving it right now. Instead I'm scratching my head wondering what the hell I just watched. My only explanation is someone took a script about "parallel worlds" then they took another script about fate and imaginary friends, shuffled the two together, randomly pulled out pages and then proceeded to shoot it. A wasted effort indeed.
Luke B

Will certainly get better after a second watch due to expectations. Everything I had read and seen of this film, from articles and trailers, really played up the futuristic Sci-Fi aspects. This is only one of 4 plots in this film, the other three take place in contemporary London.… More
Will certainly get better after a second watch due to expectations. Everything I had read and seen of this film, from articles and trailers, really played up the futuristic Sci-Fi aspects. This is only one of 4 plots in this film, the other three take place in contemporary London. Imagine Dark City or Blade Runner edited together with a Mike Leigh film or two. It keeps you confused as to why these stories are being told together, which inevitably distracts from the film itself. By the end it all comes together and is rather satisfying. Phillipe gives a tremendous performance and can really knock out a great English accent. Riley has the least fun role, but adds his everyman charm to proceedings. It's a thoughtful film, if a little self indulgent. Expect a British drama as opposed to a Gothic action film.
Walter M

In Meanwhile City, all people are welcome as long as they have a faith, my personal favorite being the Seventh Day Manicurists. Jonathan Priest(Ryan Phillippe) is a renegade without any who has tracked a missing child to Duplex Wry which is headed by the Individual. But then he… More
In Meanwhile City, all people are welcome as long as they have a faith, my personal favorite being the Seventh Day Manicurists. Jonathan Priest(Ryan Phillippe) is a renegade without any who has tracked a missing child to Duplex Wry which is headed by the Individual. But then he finds out he is too late from Wormsnakes(Stephen Walters) who betrays him to the authorities. Meanwhile, in modern day London, Emilia(Eva Green) makes videos for her college classes that freak out everybody else, especially her mother(Susannah York), because emergency services are usually required. Into this troubled metropolis walk two strangers, Milo(Sam Riley) who is recovering from being jilted at the altar and Peter(Bernard Hill) who is hopefully moving towards his missing son. Okay, I know it is a cliche for any movie to point out that we are all connected but what separates the intelligent and challenging "Franklyn" is its unique approach that mixes in elements of the fantastic in its exploration of faith. While the split narrative works well(and the Meanwhile City segments look fabulous), I think the movie should have been longer to fully flesh out some of the plot strands and characters. And in the end, it does make sense while never taking the easy way out.
Lesley N

Four stories - three in present day England and a fourth in some unspecified future about four individuals searching for something. The first half mostly involved wondering when the stories are going to link up and the second half mostly involved watching them link up. Entertaining… More
Four stories - three in present day England and a fourth in some unspecified future about four individuals searching for something. The first half mostly involved wondering when the stories are going to link up and the second half mostly involved watching them link up. Entertaining enough, but It all felt a little flat. The sci fi part used up some leftover props from Watchmen, the present day part was pinched from a BBC TV drama, plus a romantic collision so artifically contrived it would make Nora Ephron blush with shame.
The S

This film is trying very hard to be clever but only really succeeds in "trying" very hard to be clever. The Meanwhile City scenes are quite stunningly well crafted whereas the everday scenes are - well - everyday and could have fallen out of any TV soap opera. Don't… More
This film is trying very hard to be clever but only really succeeds in "trying" very hard to be clever. The Meanwhile City scenes are quite stunningly well crafted whereas the everday scenes are - well - everyday and could have fallen out of any TV soap opera. Don't believe the hype that pushed this as an epic fantasy as, impressive as those scenes are, there're precious few of them.
Marion R

Certain things in this film didn't make a lick of sense (the janitor? why Emilia handed him the lighter?) The film reminded me of Signs with the "everything happens for a reason mentality" all of it seemed cruel, just like in Signs. What was the point of it all? All… More
Certain things in this film didn't make a lick of sense (the janitor? why Emilia handed him the lighter?) The film reminded me of Signs with the "everything happens for a reason mentality" all of it seemed cruel, just like in Signs. What was the point of it all? All these people with their problems, all there pain, just so that one 'event' could happen, seems so insignificant to the amount of planning it took. I do have to mention that I did enjoy all the Meanwhile City stuff, I found that "reality" far more interesting.
Jason R

Franklyn was visually stunning, and beautifully written. Sadly there were some character plot holes that left way too many questions. Otherwise this was a good film just needed a bit of work on the script.
Kyle S

Great drama interwoven with a Noir/Sci-fi story.
Marcus W

I LOVED Meanwhile City and all of it's pseudo-Victorian-gothic-ness. I loved Franklyn too. What went wrong was everything else: the seventy plot strands lead to nothing more than ensuring a fated couple should meet, and a lobotomised monkey will have figured out what's… More
I LOVED Meanwhile City and all of it's pseudo-Victorian-gothic-ness. I loved Franklyn too. What went wrong was everything else: the seventy plot strands lead to nothing more than ensuring a fated couple should meet, and a lobotomised monkey will have figured out what's actually going on long before the film chooses to reveal it. Perhaps when it comes to fantasy, such things should be left to Hollywood, and the French...and the Japanese, and maybe the Koreans on occasion - properly supervised.
Magnus X

"Somebody once said that religion was deemed by the commoners as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful." An okay sci-fi movie. Original and interesting but the ending wasn't that good. Good cast though with among others Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green,… More
"Somebody once said that religion was deemed by the commoners as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful." An okay sci-fi movie. Original and interesting but the ending wasn't that good. Good cast though with among others Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green, Bernard Hill and Sam Riley.
Barry L

I was so dissapointed with this film. The promo looked so cool but in reality it was far from enjoyable. Eva Green continually trying to top herself for her 'art'. The sad tonsil running round like a love sick puppy and a completely unintelligable ending........it had so… More
I was so dissapointed with this film. The promo looked so cool but in reality it was far from enjoyable. Eva Green continually trying to top herself for her 'art'. The sad tonsil running round like a love sick puppy and a completely unintelligable ending........it had so much promise....shame.
d j

It was kinda twisted, I was getting confused, so I guess it's worth watching at least once. I give it 3/5 stars