Harry Styles' My Policeman called "tame", "stodgy", and "poignant" in mixed film festival reviews

gamesradar.com:

The first reviews for Harry Styles' My Policeman are in – and the romance drama doesn't seem to be wowing critics out of Toronto Film Festival. Reactions overall, it's fair to say, have been mixed so far, with some calling the Michael Grandage flick "tame" and stodgy", while others have labelled it "poignant" and praised its performances.

Based on the book of the same name by Bethan Roberts, the movie is set across two different timelines – something many of the reactions claim it doesn't juggle well. Predominantly, though, it takes place in 1950s Brighton, where copper Tom Burgess (Styles) strikes up a romance with teacher Marion (The Crown's Emma Corrin). Their relationship proves conflicting for Tom, however, due to his affections for museum curator Patrick (Peaky Blinders' David Dawson). Decades later, the characters are played by Linus Roache, Gina McKee, and Rupert Everett – as the trio try to reconcile with their tangled-up painful past.

The Guardian's Benjamin Lee (opens in new tab) awards the picture just two stars in his write-up, arguing that Styles is "arrestingly awkward" at Tom. "The film isn't exactly a washout but it's not exactly much of anything," he continues. "A disappointingly drab and stridently straightforward love triangle saga overstuffed with furtive glances and maudlin moping while underpowered by a blank lead performance."

"Between Don't Worry Darling and My Policeman,Styles is quickly proving to be the real deal as an actor, and he is very convincing here as a man lost in deception with his wife," Deadline's Pete Hammond (opens in new tab) pens less scathingly. "But for me, it doesn’t quite reach its full potential."

"Time and trauma have not been good to these men, but the writing doesn’t