The Wasteland Reviewer

London Calling (2025) Written Review

What type of role model and mentor would a hitman make for? This is the fun concept behind the new action/comedy London Calling. There is a lot of insecurity around masculinity and what makes you a “real” man. You can be a teenage boy who just wants to dress up for live-action role-playing. But maybe your father is an organized crime boss, and he expects his son to take over the family business. The only obvious choice is to make his son tag along with a hitman on the payroll! This hitman misses his own son who he had to leave behind when a job goes wrong. Sounds like a set-up full of comedic potential. 

Does the screenplay from Omer Levin Menekse, Quinn Wolfe, and director Allan Ungar capitalize on this fun concept? To be honest, this film plays it quite safely. For a film with almost two hours of runtime, this story is kept simple and with a distinct lack of depth. Each of the characters are defined by a trait or two while not delivering a fully fleshed out examination of them and their journeys are point A to point B. Tommy Ward is the type of protagonist that is memorable for the performance and not the writing. Julian (our young nerdy teen) has a few significant tropes including an unsaid attraction to a young woman and a nerd bully. There are a few other characters that are memorable but, yet again, not for the writing. The only surprising character and thread in the movie is one of their hit targets, Alistair Mcrory. His wildcard energy is enough to make things interesting at times but not enough to make the story that interesting. 

Does Ungar deliver some added panache through his direction? You can tell Ungar is going for a cool and fun type of vibe, and he honestly hits the mark…enough. This isn’t the most stylish and visually memorable action comedy, but it has good enough energy to deliver some fun. The creative choices won’t be the freshest takes on the genre, but they work well enough. You have some fun needle jobs and broad humor. The British characters are much funnier and have a sharper sense of humor, but you get a sense that Ungar has the whole cast and crew driving in the same direction with the film’s personality. You aren’t going to see any fresh or dynamic bits of action but at least it is entertaining. 

Does the cast deliver any extra heavy lifting to make London Calling a fun experience? Duhamel fits perfectly in the leading role as a rugged, middle-aged hitman. He has just enough charm and charisma to work for the film. Jeremy Ray Taylor is a fun enough addition to the film as young Julian. They are dynamic and fun and engaging for the purposes of the film with their odd couple type of vibe. Rick Hoffman is high energy and aggressive as the manic and frustrated father of Julian. Aidan Gillen and Arnold Vosloo are memorable and quite fun in their supporting roles. The most memorable and interesting performance in the film is Neil Sandilands as Mcrory as this unpredictable hitman, the target of Tommy and Julian. 

Is London Calling a memorable and worthwhile action/comedy experience? This is enough of a serviceable and entertaining ride. The runtime certainly is felt, and the middle act of the film could have been tightened up quite a bit. Ungar and company deliver enough depth to make the characters empathetic enough to enjoy but not enough to make it memorable. Disposable and fun, London Calling just might scratch that itch for action/comedy fans out there.