Movie Review: ‘London Calling’

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Review by James Lindorf

“This is London calling …”, a phrase popularized during World War II when the British reached out to occupied countries, letting them know they were not alone. In 1979, English punk rock band the Clash released their song “London Calling” to speak to the government about their fears and frustrations with police brutality, nuclear power, and flooding risks. It is being called into use once again for Director Allan Ungar’s latest feature film about a man yearning to return to his beloved city. “London Calling” will open in a limited number of theaters around the country on September 19th.

Aging hitman Tommy Ward (Josh Duhamel) is past his prime, but vanity makes him incapable of admitting that fact. After another mistake results in the death of a man related to London’s biggest crime boss, Fred Darby (Aidan Gillen), Tommy flees and takes refuge in Los Angeles. After a year on the run, desperate to reunite with his son, Tommy strikes a deal with his new employer, Benson (Rick Hoffman). In exchange for safe passage back to England, Tommy must teach Benson’s socially awkward son Julian (Jeremy Ray Taylor) how to be a man, a hit man. What is supposed to be a simple ride-along soon descends into utter mayhem as Tommy and Julian must find a way to survive a renowned assassin, drug dealers, and an appearance from Darby. If they play their hand right, they might survive the night and get to repair their own dysfunctional father-son relationships.

When you ask people about their favorite movie genres, they’ll often say horror, action, or drama, which are among the broad categories that encompass a wide range of films with diverse plots and blended genres. If you go down a level, you’ll find genres like Romcoms and Horror-Comedies. A level below that, you can discover one of my favorite subgenres: Tough Guy and Child(ren). From “Kindergarten Cop” to “The Game Plan,” “Man on Fire,” and so many more, the dichotomy between the larger-than-life characters and the innocent comedic relief is always appealing, so I was excited to be entering this world again for “London Calling.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well as the previously mentioned films.

Jeremy Ray Taylor is a talented young actor who got to play my favorite character, Ben, in the 2017 adaptation of “IT,” but he may be too old now for this role. I get why they got a 22-year-old actor to play an 18-year-old character. There are no working restrictions; he has more experience, and because Julian is 18, people don’t have to be squeamish about them making a porn joke and putting him in a situation where he is supposed to commit murder. While that is all logically sound, it is just another thing that tightens that dichotomy between the two main characters, pushing “London Calling” to the limit of this subgenre but not moving it into the buddy action movie category like “48 Hours” or “The Whole Nine Yards.”

Thankfully, they put the characters in fun situations, and the entire cast brings charisma to their roles, with solid chemistry as an ensemble. Rick Hoffman’s Benson loves his son and wants him to fit in a very specific box, and when Julian fails to live up to expectations, Benson becomes insufferable. Then we see there are layers to his depravity and that disappointment, disrespect are nowhere near as motivating for him to go low as the almighty dollar. Julian is a good kid, but a lifetime of not living up to expectations makes it hard for him to be himself openly or to notice when others respect him for who he is. Tommy loves two things: his son and being the best hitman, and struggles with those losses, leaving him feeling lost and alone in a city he hates, until he forms a bond with Julian.

The movie puts Tommy and Julian together in a series of wacky setups that allow for action, humor, or typically a bit of both. This framing keeps the story light and brisk. Still, because the screenwriters Omer Levin Menekse, Allan Ungar, and Quinn Wolfe want to set up all these scenarios, they don’t follow through on the initial character development or what should be changing from all of their interactions. Then, when things like Julian’s LARPing come back, it feels unearned even if it still has good comedic moments.

“London Calling” boasts a talented team of actors playing a fun cast of characters, but the inability to balance fun ideas with character growth and poor adherence to its genre ultimately hinders the film. What’s left is entertaining but forgettable fun that earns a score of 3 out of 5.

Director: Allan Ungar
Producer: Delon Bakker, Kyle Ambrose, Nathan Klingher, Julia Sandberg Hansson, Apur Parikh, Ryan Winterstern, Mark Fasano
Screenwriter: Omer Levin Menekse, Allan Ungar, Quinn Wolfe
Distributor: Quiver Distribution
Production Co: Mannequin Films, Short Porch Pictures
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Language Throughout|Drug Use|Strong/Bloody Violence)
Release Date (Limited Theatrical): September 19th, 2025
Runtime: 1h 54m