User reviews

My Policeman is the story of a love triangle between two men and a woman, and a forbidden love between the two men in 1957 in Britain. There are two sets of actors who play the older and younger versions of the characters. They were all good, but I particulary liked the excellent young cast. Young Tom, (Harry Styles), is a hunky, rookie policeman; young Marion, (Emma Corrin), is a teacher; young Patrick, (David Dawson), Tom's lover, is a museum curator. The camera loves certain people; Harry Styles is one of those people. He played Tom with a disarming innocence.

The story time jumps between 1999 - 2000, when the Tom and Marion are retired and Marion takes Patrick in to help him heal after he had a stroke, and 1957 - 1958 when the three meet. In 1999, Tom does not want Patrick in his house and refuses contact with him. Much of the story is relayed through flashbacks as Marion reads Patrick's diary. It's disturbing to watch the judgment and violence that gay men had to endure in 1950s America. The relationships are well developed, nuanced, and complex. I liked the film.

Brokeback Mountain perfected the tragically doomed period gay love story and "My Policeman" borrows more than a few beats from the original masterpiece. Emma Corrin is basically a more naive and developed version of Michelle Williams's character, both remarkable in each part to be fair.

The whole thing has a sightly deja-vu feeling and is classic to a fault. I guess this explains the bad reviews but, truth is, this is an absolutely fine film. It certainly didn't deserve all the hate especially compared to that other and really terrible Harry Styles vehicule. Here his soft spoken acting perfectly fits the blunt straightforwardly straight character. The harsh selfishness of youngTom is the most fascinating and refreshing element of the film.

My Policeman uses the traditional biographic structure of back and forth timelines to great results. The idealism of the 50s sequences full of gorgeous arts, elegant flats, cosy countryside and rapturous love is in stark contrast with the gloomy grey suburban present days. It is true than the movie would have benefited from a more balanced use of the present time rather than just being the obvious reminder of a world of redemption and social progress.

But My Policeman is gripping as an exploration of the dark places romance can put us through.

This film was so much more than I was expecting! It's a beautiful story and the chemistry between the younger characters was fantastic.

This is a beautiful reminder of how far we have come and a shocking reminder of how things used to be in the 1950s

The intimacy scenes were wonderful and tastefully shot. From early on you can feel the spark and tension between Tom and Patrick.

David Dawson is a brilliant Patrick and Harry styles did a great job with Tom. Emma corrin was wonderful as always.

My only criticism is I didn't recognise the older characters to be a good fit. They didn't seem to embody the characters as the younger actors.

All in all a great movie which left me in tears.

Harry Styles helped me propose to my girlfriend in October of 2014, so its hard for me not to be partial to him. Went into this movie having no idea what it was about and I'm glad. I will say that although Styles' acting skills have improved greatly, he was still outshined by his cast mates. There were times where his emotions came across as disingenuous and flat, but also times where I could tell that he's been working on his chops. Now, not knowing what I was going into, I must say I was quite surprised at some of the moments in this movie. There were a couple of things I wish they had conveyed better, such as the time between the 50s and 90s. I felt like there was big gap missing and I was left wondering what happened or how they lived their lives out between those years. I would recommend this to most of my friends, although I know some would cringe at the "love making" scenes. I, personally, was not put off by this and found it quite romantic at times, although Patrick did come across as pushy and off putting many times, almost creep like. In the end, I really enjoyed the film and look forward to seeing many more from Harry Styles. He's only going to improve.

Convenient set of diaries to facilitate the story moving back in time to the 1950s. I think the scenes depicting Brighton mid 20th century seemed very authentic. Homosexuality at that time was a crime. It must have been quite common in same sex relationships for one (or both) to marry some one of the opposite sex in order to hide their preferred sexuality. This film tells the story of 3 people and such a marriage in a very sensitive and credible way. Quite a thought provoking film contrasting how homosexuals were thought of and treated mid 20th century with present day. The story is told through Marian reading Patrick's diaries of the 1950s. Both she and he love Tom (My Policeman). If I have any criticism it would be that I felt Tom's perspective of having the love of 2 people and how this affected him was not depicted. I'm left wondering about the missing years in the film was he remorseful, was he a good husband ? Did Tom and Marian have the children they so desired ?

I've not read the book this is based on, so I'm torn if this is actually something of value or just a film version of something similar to a 1950's paperback type novel about "forbidden love." Somehow it has the feel of both. One thing it does have is a miscast actor as the pivotal character in this love triangle between two men and a one woman. Harry Styles showed a lot of potential in his small role in Dunkirk and he is not terrible here at all, but he totally lacks any sort of gravity or depth necessary for this role. He's a novice and it shows. Somehow the film is still interesting despite that. It's a three character film played by six actors in two different time periods, the late 1950's and the early 2000's. The other five all give fine performances of which I appreciated Gina McKee the most. This is very well directed, though it is not exactly an original storyline, but it still has relevancy and it is also a reminder of just how far gay rights have come since those horrid times not that many years ago. This is ultimately a sad story of three people who were never able to have the lives they wanted, most of that society's fault, some their own. There are some good old songs used to great effect here and the whole film has an appropriate mood. It's flawed, but I still admire some of it even if it might be similar to a 1950's forbidden love paperback.

Laid-back, understated, emotionally honest look at forbidden love in 1950s Britain and what it does to three people who love each other to varying extents, with a judicious, unshowy screenplay by Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia") and tender direction by Michael Grandage. It makes Brighton look gorgeous, and it peers into the lives of teacher Marion, policeman Tom, and museum curator Patrick with an appealing non-judgmentalism. You can pick at it: Why does the latter-day Tom treat Patrick like that, and how much does Marion know and when does she know it, and why don't we find out more about Marion's BFF, and the 1999 sequences aren't as rooted in 1999 as the 1957 sequences are in 1957. I still don't see what everyone sees in Harry Styles, it's a timid performance that could use more swagger. But the rest of the cast is excellent, and the fadeout had everyone around me weeping.

Not reading the book, being interested by music of Harry Stiles and admiring Rupert Everett, it is just easy to not ignore this movie.

The expectation - maybe influenced by Firebird by Peeter Rabane. Sure, different context but same spider webb of intolerance .

The film is just gifted. Good acting, fair story, seductive images.

But you can not feel the tension , emotions and the deepness of the inner fights of characters.

So, you have one verdict - a beautiful film. But the connections are too fragile and you feel entire story as exterior one .

But it works.

And the delicate bitterness remains a precious gift from Michael Grandage.

I'm conflicted about this film.

The scenery is fantastic, lovely, beautiful locations.

A forbidden situation, in and of itself, tragic.

A sensitive topic that shouldn't be so.

I feel one of the main male characters simply should have been played by someone else because he couldn't pull off the profound intensity needed for this particular story. I won't mention which one, but you'll figure it out.

It's emotive, which is good.

But, I feel like the forbidden (at the time) situation is overwhelming present throughout in a way that's sort of aggravating. I would have enjoyed some extension of the rest of what these characters were all about, because only one facet of their lives was the focal point. A mistake many stories make. To draw more subtly upon that topic, interwoven more heavily inside what the characters were BEYOND that ...would have made this a much better film.

I also found it quite slow.

Still glad I watched it.

I can hardly believe the 6.8 rating on here for this wonderful life long romance journey. The screenplay is brilliant - but perhaps some people marked it down because in fact its not just fiction.

Similar stories have continued for generations. The story of forbidden love and conformity collide together in this surprising piece of excellent work.

The (surprising) cast (young and older) were all excellent in this forbidden love triangle. This story is not make believe; whilst I am not saying the storyline is common - I am saying its not unusual for those times. Perhaps less so these days.

The low score on here surprises me - considering much higher scores are given to series/films that are complete codswallop.

Give it a go - but its not for the bigoted or squeamish.

SPOILER ALERT: there are no gun chases/Shoot outs not car chases.

This film explores the relationship between 3 individuals at a time when homosexuality was a criminal offense in the UK. It's been done many times over, sometimes better, sometimes worse than it has been here. The story is not special, but does show the changing social mores in the 1960s and 60s, after the decriminalization of homosexuality. The characters seem to drift through the rather hurried, and often-time alternating timeline between the 1950s and the present. The script is a bit shallow, and the acting, mechanical. The point of the story does get across to the audience, but as said before, it's nothing special.

When we tell a love story, we need to show the delicate, and sometimes brutal, transformations that a passion causes in life. In My Policeman, we have a prelude, but not an immersion in this narrative.

A sensitive film, which investigates the meaning of love and navigates the scenarios of intolerance in the 1950s, but finds problems in taking the audience to the deepest layers of history.

This may be due to a difficulty in disconnecting the image of who Harry Styles is from the character, or because at times the differences between the young cast and the adult cast are excessive.

Unfortunately, for Ron Nyswaner it won't be the script that will take him into the spotlight of awards seasons, but he hits the tone of invitation for those who (like me) haven't read the book yet.

Greetings again from the darkness. This is one of those prestige movies that simply isn't as important as it portends to be. That doesn't mean it's unwatchable, only that it lacks the emotional weight and depth to which it strives. Director Michael Grandage (GENIUS, 2016) is working from a script that Ron Nyswaner (PHILADELPHIA, 1993) adapted from the 2012 book by Bethan Roberts ... itself inspired by the true story of writer EM Forster.

The film employs a familiar structure, alternating between the 1950s and 1990s, utilizing two sets of actors playing three main characters. Pop star Harry Styles and his handsome face and lush head of hair plays young police officer Tom, who one day at the beach is introduced to the lovely and educated Marion (Emma Corrin, Lady Di in "The Crown"). The two begin spending a good deal of time together with Tom being the perfect 'gentleman', even after an extended courtship. He introduces art-loving Marion to his friend Patrick (David Dawson, ALL THE OLD KNIVES, 2022), a museum curator who has many common interests with Marion ... including that of Tom.

The decades-later episodes find Marion (Gina McKee, IN THE LOOP, 2009) inviting stroke victim Patrick (Rupert Everett) to convalesce at the seaside village home she shares with long-time husband Tom (Linus Roche, BATMAN BEGINS, 2005). What we learn is that Marion has done so out of guilt and Tom is not happy with her for doing so, and completely avoids his long-ago friend by taking an inordinate number of walks with his dog along the shoreline. If the two time periods aren't enough for us to understand these relationships, older Marion begins reading Patrick's diaries from those past years and learns the details of what she suspected all along. This cruel invasion of privacy goes far beyond the doubts her younger self had when she saw the portrait of Tom that Patrick drew, or the time Patrick hired Tom as an assistant on art excursion to Venice.

The film opens with Dean Martin crooning his classic, "Memories are Made of This", and while it may be an obvious precursor to what we are to watch, it's always a pleasure to hear Dean on a modern sound system. The three characters navigate (quite poorly actually) a messy taboo triangle of love, passion, and deceit, making for a mostly sad story from all angles. It may stress the 1950's attitudes toward sexual preferences, but mostly it shows how the past is always present ... always hovering, even over once-close friendships and loves.

The film opens in select theaters on October 21 and on Prime Video on November 4, 2022.

A gorgeous film through and through. It reminds me a little bit of the notebook. I shed a few tears throughout the movie and ended up crying at the end. I think everyone gay or straight can relate to the kind of love they shared.

The movie is beautifully shot and the acting is very well done. The young wife is such a great actor. I enjoyed her in this film, as well as The Crown. Styles' acting has come a long way and for the better.

Overall, I highly recommend this film. And will be watching this film again. It has touched me deeply and I do consider it to be one to the best gay films I have ever seen, having seen probably 50 gay films or so.

Harry Styles is out of his depth playing a closeted policeman conflicted about his sexual orientation in a period film that felt like a stiff-upper-lip cross between "Brokeback Mountain" and "Maurice". The latter film was based on a novel by E. M. Forster whose fictionalized life is the basis of this story. Directed by Michael Grandage, this 2022 film goes back and forth between the 1950's and the 1990's with two trios of actors playing the same characters in the inevitable love triangle. The drabness of the reflective later scenes is offset by fine work from Gina McKee whose younger self is played affectingly by Emma Corrin (Princess Di in Sesson 4 of "The Crown"). In an underused role, Linus Roache plays Styles' older self, an ironic choice given Roache's more accomplished performance of a similar character to Styles' thirty years earlier in "Priest". David Dawson gives the best performance as the younger Patrick, the Forster doppelgänger, while Rupert Everett is hemmed in by the physical limitations of Patrick's older self. The ending is poignant, but it felt like a very long time to get there.

It's been awhile since I could sit through an entire movie, most make me want to fast forward to the end just to get it over with either due to poor acting, poor story line, poor filming. I stuck with this one, even though it was a bit slow, the cinematography was outstanding and artful, filled with metaphorical vignettes. I appreciate that the story isn't just a romance between two individuals, but focuses also on camaraderie, personal struggle, and several historical issues society needs to transcend already. I'll go so far as to say it's a poetic artistic film which we don't see much of anymore.

It be cool if people would actually evaluate the movie based on the script, acting, filming, directing, etc. And not out of desire to be a part of the "cool crowd" - you're going to virtue signal this movie to death with all the fawning over this solely because of the subject matter and little about anything else of importance. Subject matter aside, the other aspects of the film were OK at best. I like period pieces so I did love it for that, and Harry Styles is really easy on the eyes, but everything else was just ok and not the masterpiece that so many people claim it to be in my opinion....

It is a rare movie that moves me to tears - perhaps the last movie I can even remember with that effect was watching the notebook years ago. My Policeman is like a gay tragic version and I'm here for it.

Artistically depicted, I felt a deeper level of understanding of the issue at this time period that I didn't even know I lacked. The system was the villain and everyone a victim that shows that draconian laws, like we're on display in this society, hurt everyone.

Also, Harry Styles really impresses - I've never thought of him as an actor and I was deeply impressed at his range - goofy, fun, naive, sneaky, brooding, and sad. He wasn't just hot, he was good!

I had absolutely no idea what this movie was about, no trailers no teases nothing and I'm happy because I don't think I would have watched it if I did.

Off the bat this isn't my sort of movie, it's not something I would ever find myself wanting to watch or recommending to put it on YET in saying this I can still appreciate it for what it is.

Visually it was nice, I enjoyed the setting in England and the cast where all quite good, even Harry Styles himself, for me this was a giant leap from Don't Worry Darling, the acting in this is far superior.

It had a nice story, it was overall a bit too emotionally draining for me with in my opinion little to no pay off. I understand why and where they ended up but for me so many characters were treated so badly by their partners but I guess that's what the movie wanted to convey.

If you are into slow paced romance, with secrets and time jumps this is one for you.