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Oct 14, 2014 By Sarah Winshall Web Exclusive

Driving home from the pub after one too many, police officer Malcolm Toohey (Joel Edgerton) accidentally clips a cyclist with his rear view mirror. The boy ends up in a life-threatening coma and within seconds, Malcolm finds himself knee-deep in a major moral dilemma. As a well-respected member of the Force he is encouraged to keep his mouth shut to avoid a scandal, but his conscience and an idealistic rookie cop (Jai Courtney) won’t leave him alone.

Felony crawls along, lingering on minor details and stretching subtle moments into full beats. But we already know ‘who done it’ so the procedural pace isn’t effective. There is no mystery and therefore no tension. As the film progresses, the story becomes increasingly convoluted, weighed down by two too many car accidents and inconsequential side-plots. A creeping blandness sets in. The central themes get lost and all that’s left is a tedious, overwrought drama. Not even the always dynamic Tom Wilkinson as seasoned and unscrupulous Detective Carl Summer can save Felony from Edgerton’s preachy screenplay and a performance that lacks personality and a clear point of view.

www.facebook.com/FelonyFilm

Author rating: 4/10