My Policeman Movie Review

Michael Grandage’s “My Policeman” is set in Britain in the 1990s, yet it continuously flashes back to the 1950s. In those days, if a person were gay, they lived an underground life, hiding who they truly were. I’m speaking of those two decades and those between. Unfortunately, this story is as relevant now as it was then. 

Things have gotten a little better. But thinking about it, the release of “My Policeman” is timed perfectly. It could be seen as a warning that this could be the life we’re headed back to if we’re not careful. In the ’50s, we have policeman Tom (Harry Styles), schoolteacher Marion (Emma Corrin), and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson). They meet and become the best of friends. You immediately know something is suspicious when Patrick and Tom spend as much time together as do Marion and Tom.

Years later, not only have the actors playing the parts switched, but things have changed between Tom (Linus Roache), Marion (Gina McKee), and Patrick (Rupert Everett). Patrick has had a stroke and needs some caring for. Tom is scathingly against helping the man, but Marion wants to care for the person she once loved almost as much as Tom, whom she wed so long ago. As an audience member, where you find yourself is having to decipher what happened between the time they all met and their present-day situation. Why is Tom so bitter and why does Marion still believe in a love you never see?

Overall, the movie was a bit stale and formulaic. Harry Styles is as gorgeous as ever, giving his fans a reason to flock to the theaters, but you may want to wait for the November fourth steaming date. Speaking of Styles, one of the biggest superstars of his generation, I can see that once he masters the art of controlling passion in a moment, letting people see it in his eyes for more than one second, he’ll be a contender. He’s not quite there yet but give him time. With the simulated sex scenes here, he’s certainly not afraid to jump in headfirst.

Anyway, the movie meanders through these three people’s lives, taking you in one direction and then slinging you back another way before we finally get the bigger picture. It’s not as if you can’t tell which characters are lusting after who. Still, the attempt by Grandage to hide it gives you the feeling that there is something else coming. When it never produces anything, it gets a touch on the nerves.

After finding out she’s basically their beard, we learn that Marion does something she regrets her entire life. Outside of that, she serves no real purpose in their lives and is often treated horribly by Tom. Perhaps he sees that it’s she who keeps him and Patrick apart? Eventually, the men become estranged. Marion never lets go of the guilt she feels and lovingly stays with her husband. Then out of nowhere thinks maybe it’s time to leave. This doesn’t hold up, considering the number of years these two men were on the outs. It’s also not who this woman is. She’s their rock and is happy to be. Patrick needs her to be his strength because he doesn’t have it back. Yes, Tom has been cruel, but his love is dying… and she’s well aware that he needs her understanding more than ever… something she was always willing to give. I guess the question is, what has she given up to be with him and is it time she finds out?

I liked the movie but didn’t love it. The way a homosexual had to live then was appalling and I believe, if nothing else, what people will get out of this is that we can’t go back to that life. Hopefully, it’ll serve a purpose in keeping people aware of the winds of change.

The location scout did a marvelous job and the score is beautiful.