Dir: Michael Grandage. Starring: Emma Corrin, Harry Styles, David Dawson, Gina McKee, Rupert Everett, Linus Roache. 15, 113 minutes.
In My Policeman, Harry Styles plays an officer of the law in 1950s Brighton – which is ironic, because his acting is criminally bad. He does not have to say anything, but anything he does say will be delivered as though he read it on a piece of paper five minutes previously. After diplomatically average reviews for his performance in Don’t Worry Darling, it’s clear that the lead role in Michael Grandage’s adaptation of Bethan Robert’s novel has left him overexposed as an actor. His presence is leaden. The accent is all over the place. And he doesn’t have the technique to convey whatever ideas he may have had about his character. Let’s hope Olivia Wilde is allowed to bring her special salad dressing to whichever acting prison he is going to.
