London Town

This musically charged 1970s tale follows a teenager as he finds love, direction and passion through his discovery of rock revolutionaries the Clash. Daniel Huttlestone's performance makes it easy to invest in the young protagonist, but the journey he goes on is a familiar one, plodding through the normal tropes of coming-of-age movies with the occasional slogan about what made punk so great. When riot scenes come across as less urgent than getting the girl, you know the message has been lost. Jonathan Rhys Meyers gives a good impression as Joe Strummer, but he lacks the charisma that made the frontman such a legend. With none of the urgency or edge that embodied the Clash itself, London Town has its moments of charm but is unforgivably mainstream for a film about punk icons.