Aging is something we all (hopefully) go through. Some people take parts of it harder than others. In the new action/comedy/drama film, London Calling, the audience gets to see this from the perspective of the once top hitman, Tommy Ward, played by Josh Duhamel. When out on a job, he makes a mistake that accepting changes with aging could have prevented. To keep himself alive, he must leave the country. The story picks up a year later in the United States, where his now boss, Benson, Rick Hoffman, assigns him the task of “manning up” his son. Julian, Jeremy Ray Taylor, is a good teenager who is a little on the geeky side. Ward finds himself torn between wanting to fulfill his assignment and the desire to preserve Julian’s true self.
The good outweighed the negatives for me on this one. My first negative is that the story itself is a version of stories we have seen before, and I found it to be very predictable. And my second negative was that the gore factor went further than I like. There are others out there who will say it didn’t go far enough, and they are welcome to their opinion. Now, for what I liked about this movie. The choices in how this was filmed are what pulled me in, and the characters the cast brought to the screen kept me watching. Lighting choices in the opening sequence and the view from Ward’s perspective helped clarify the events unfolding. There is also a continuation of lighting changes, being gloomier for the night sequences in London, which shifted to very bright in California. As I didn’t check the time while watching, I will say the pacing was good. An enjoyable balance between action sequences, learning about the characters, and occasional moments of teenage life was struck.
The portrayal of the characters by the cast was believable. Duhamel brings us a hitman who, for the most part, accepts who he is and the mistakes he has made in the past. The character is a little vain with some fear of aging. At his core, he is loyal and as honest as he can be in his line of work. Taylor brings a touch of innocence and awkwardness, paired with a large heart. He wants to make his father proud, yet doesn’t want to lose the person he has become in the process. Neil Sandilands and Brandon Auret are the McRory brothers. They don’t apologize for who they are, and their fidelity to each other is unquestionable.
If you like action/comedy/drama and are looking for a way to sit back, relax, and maybe enjoy a few too many gunshots take the time to check this one out.
Director: Allan Ungar
Cast: Josh Duhamel, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Rick Hoffman
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong/bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content.
Selig Rating: 3.5 stars
Runtime: 1h 54m
Release Date: September 19, 2025
Genre(s): Action, Comedy, Drama
Movie Site:
Trailer: London Calling trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.