REVIEW: The Edge Of Love (15)

Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Matthew Rhys star in The Edge of Love, a film concerned with the women in Dylan Thomas's life.

Most people have heard of Dylan Thomas, but if you haven't, it doesn't really matter. Get ready to focus on free-spirited women instead, particularly Vera Phillips (Knightley) and Caitlin, (Miller) who, despite both realising that Dylan may well be in love with both of them, spark up a strong friendship with each other.

It's 1941, London is getting bombed frequently and cabaret has gone underground - literally. I will offer the benefit of the doubt to director John Maybury and concede that, although a lighting rig or double bass would not be the first thing I might grab in an air raid, it is possible that they could have been set up on the tube platforms permanently. Anyway, I digress. Vera is attracting attention from plenty of soldiers and sailors alike, due to her smashing pipes (Keira's own voice) and pleasant looks (dubbed).

One man in particular, William Killick, (Cillian Murphy of Batman Begins fame) is a captain with the British army and is besotted with Vera. Dylan Thomas (Rhys) happens to be her childhood love, and a chance encounter at a pub throws them back together once more.

Far from the proverbial bucket of water, Dylan's wife Caitlin simply fans those flames and a semi-mutual love triangle ensues, except three is not the magic number in this case, and three with a staunch husband drier than a biscuit looking on isn't going to end well at all. Killick goes off to war, leaving Dylan (who faked an injury to get off from military service) to have his cake and spend a lot of time eyeing up Killick's own slice too, while poor Killick goes through hell to save Queen and country.

As long as you don't mind Dylan Thomas and his poetry taking a bit of a back seat, you will happily drift through a slick, well shot, competently-acted British film, though it does feel a little 'TV.' The film is well-researched and although Dylan Thomas has many a yarn attached to him, this seems a coherent section of his life.
Perhaps in this sequel-laced climate we can expect Dylan: The American Years, which I think I would prefer - he didn't care what anyone thought by then, and was quite the rogue, so the stories go...I'm sure Matthew Rhys would enjoy revisiting the charismatic role and slurring "Washington isn't a city; it's an abstraction" after his eighteenth whiskey.

It is also quite nice to see Sienna Miller actually do something, since I had no idea she was an actress - she seemed to be one of the photographed elite who appear in London Lite every other day doing newsworthy things like getting out of cabs, or leaving places. I'm happy to report she is also a feisty talented actress who hopefully has a bright future.
The Edge Of Love hits cinemas June 20.