The incisive works of playwright James Graham tend to skewer Britain’s rich cultural history with his pieces often presented on stage or on television. For only the second time in his illustrious career, his words have been adapted for the cinema as he, quite fittingly, teams up with director Danny Boyle who shares similar political passions within his own oeuvre.
Based on the theatrical production of the same name, biographical drama Ink begins in 1969 when northern newspaper editor Larry Lamb (Jack O’Connell) is approached by Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce) to start a new venture. Together, they launch The Sun which stirs controversy and transforms the landscape of the UK tabloid industry.
Ripping up the rulebook of red-top reporting, we witness the daring reinvention of the daily rag through bold, brash, and arguably distasteful methods. Boyle brings an electric rhythm to his filmmaking that matches this energy and gives it the stylish trapping of a gangster flick. Using montage, cutaways, and a dodgy dash of AI, the compelling narrative moves at an exciting, Scorsese-esque pace as our protagonist becomes corrupted by the greed and power that comes with overwhelming success. There are artsy sequences that pit Lamb and Murdoch face-to-face on an otherwise empty train carriage, perhaps a nod to the director’s own seismic impact on British culture, but also a neat visual metaphor for the ominous tracks they ride upon. A bizarrely conceived crime subplot threatens to derail the storytelling in the third act but it keeps hurtling along until its sensationalised full stop.
Furthering a formidable run that has somewhat rejuvenated his career, Jack O’Connell gives a richly enjoyable performance and relishes every opportunity in this leading role. Slick and sharp throughout but treading a fine line of immorality, he’s a complex, evolving embodiment of the world he hungrily wants to pioneer, getting his hands dirty in the office and in his extramarital relationship with colleague Jules (Claire Foy); a fictional representation of many women during that time who fought an uphill battle in a very male-dominated space. Not too dissimilar to his wicked part in The Brutalist a couple of years ago, Guy Pearce brings an alluring combination of charm and menace to Murdoch though the film takes an oddly sympathetic stance on his notoriously villainous character.
Ambitious, audacious, and mercilessly entertaining, Danny Boyle brilliantly captures the ruthless spirit of contemporary tabloid culture’s sinister origin story with Ink. With a frighteningly good Jack O’Connell in full-on Wolf of Fleet Street mode, it’s a thrilling and propulsive adaptation of James Graham’s West End play.
