London Calling

We’ve reached a weird, cozy plateau in the streaming era where the "Hitman with a Heart of Gold" subgenre has become the cinematic equivalent of a warm blanket. You know the drill: a stone-cold killer finds himself saddled with a kid, a dog, or a quirky neighbor, and suddenly his cold, dead heart starts to go pitter-patter between the headshots. Allan Ungar’s London Calling doesn’t try to reinvent this wheel; instead, it puts some shiny new rims on it and drives it at a very respectable speed through the rain-slicked streets of a mid-budget crime caper.

I watched this on a Tuesday night while nursing a slightly burnt grilled cheese sandwich, and honestly, the low-stakes comfort of the experience probably added a full point to my enjoyment. It’s the kind of movie that feels like it was discovered in the "Recommended for You" algorithm and actually delivers on the promise of the thumbnail.

The Babysitter Who Packs Heat

The plot follows Tommy Ward, played by Josh Duhamel, a hitman who has to bolt from the UK after a job goes sideways in that specific way movie jobs always do. He ends up in the employ of a new crime boss, Freddy Darby (Aidan Gillen), but there’s a catch. Instead of just clearing out rival warehouses, Tommy is tasked with "man-ing up" Freddy’s son, Julian (Jeremy Ray Taylor).

Josh Duhamel has spent the last few years transitioning into a sort of "budget-friendly George Clooney," and I mean that as a sincere compliment. He’s got the ruggedness for the action beats, but he’s developed a self-deprecating comedic timing that keeps things breezy. Seeing him try to teach a teenager about "being a man" while his own life is a smoking crater is where the movie finds its pulse. Jeremy Ray Taylor, who many of us remember as the heart of the Losers' Club in IT (2017), plays the kid with a believable awkwardness that never veers into "annoying movie teen" territory.

Punchy Stunts and Posh Villains

What surprised me most was the action choreography. Allan Ungar previously directed that viral Uncharted fan film with Nathan Fillion, so he knows his way around a set piece. The fights here have a satisfying, crunchy weight to them. They aren’t over-edited into a blurry soup; you can actually see who is hitting whom and with what piece of furniture. It’s refreshing in an era where some big-budget franchises seem to think "more cuts equals more excitement."

Then there’s the supporting cast, which feels like a fever dream of character actors I’ve missed. Rick Hoffman, best known as the high-strung Louis Litt from Suits, turns up as Benson, and he’s a human personification of a nervous twitch. He brings a frantic energy that perfectly offsets Josh Duhamel’s weary stoicism. We also get Arnold Vosloo, and let’s be real—any time the guy from The Mummy (1999) shows up to play a menacing heavy named Harry, I’m going to have a good time. Aidan Gillen plays a crime boss with the frantic energy of a man who just realized he left the stove on in Dublin, and his chemistry with the rest of the cast keeps the "Comedy" part of the Action-Crime-Comedy tag alive.

A Modern "Dad Movie" for Everyone

In the current landscape of $200 million sequels and cinematic universes, there’s something genuinely charming about a film that just wants to tell a contained story about a guy, a kid, and a lot of guns. It’s a "Dad Movie" through and through, but it’s a well-made one. It acknowledges the tropes of the genre—the wise-cracking hitman, the over-the-top boss, the "bonding over firearms" montage—and leans into them with a wink.

The film does suffer a bit from that digital, high-contrast look that seems to haunt Highland Film Group productions, making everything look just a little too clean for a gritty crime world. But the screenplay by Omer Levin Menekse and Quinn Wolfe keeps the quips coming fast enough that you don't spend too much time worrying about the color grading. It’s also worth noting that this marks another collaboration between Allan Ungar and Josh Duhamel after 2022’s Bandit, and you can tell they’ve developed a shorthand. They know exactly how to use Duhamel’s charm without letting it get too saccharine.

Is it going to be taught in film schools as a breakthrough in narrative structure? Probably not. But in the sea of content that we drown in every Friday, London Calling is a life jacket of pure, unpretentious entertainment. It’s a film that knows exactly what it is: a fun, slightly violent, ultimately sweet distraction.

Ultimately, London Calling is a reminder that the mid-budget action-comedy isn't dead; it just moved to a different neighborhood. It’s a breezy 114 minutes that benefits from a cast that looks like they’re having a blast and a director who understands that clarity is king in action. It won't change your life, but it'll definitely make your Tuesday night a lot more interesting.