From the moment the movie starts, it becomes abundantly clear that Jude Law took a page out of Matthew McConaughey’s book to treat the audience to an unexpected performance never seen before. 

Those familiar the sophisticated, charming Law who has graced the big screen for years are in for a shock as the film begins with an intense and vulgar, albeit poetic, monologue about his “c–k,” so powerful and
eloquent that it would almost be Shakespearean, if it were not so uncouth.

The opening monologue is only one of many that Law shines in. Every one of them is passionate and foul-mouthed; delivered with such eye-popping, vein
projecting intensity that Law finishes them dripping with sweat.

While Law may have given one of his best performances, “Dom Hemingway” gets lost in an inconsistent plot that bounces back and forth from a “crime-comedy” to a family drama.

Law plays Hemingway, a safecracking convict who is released from prison after serving a 12-year sentence for an undisclosed crime. After his release, he meets up with a crime boss, played by Demian Bichir (“Weeds”), who rewards him for being loyal and keeping his mouth shut for all of those years.

After a series of
unfortunate events, Hemingway loses his money and finds himself at the
doorstep of his estranged daughter played by an almost unrecognizable, Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”), who is uninterested in having a
relationship with her father. 

The plot then jumps back to a crime comedy as Hemmingway unsuccessfully tries to get back into
 the safecracking business with the spawn of a former adversary. 

Though the plot’s continuity leaves much to be desired, writer and director Richard Shepard provides a refreshingly beautiful film – evocative of what a film would look like if one were to take the grit and grunge of a Guy Ritchie film and combine it with the
distinctly vibrant color
palette and cinematic clarity that Wes Anderson is known for. 

Visually speaking, “Dom Hemmingway” is Shepard’s best film, but the script fails to capture the
captivating magic he exuded in his underrated 2005 film, “The Matador” and is an obvious distraction to what could have been one of the best movies of the year.

Law’s performance
combined with the witty dialogue and Shepard’s
cinematic brilliance is enough to forgive Shepard of his lack of plot. Now that Law has shown what he can truly do, hopefully he will take on more roles that push him to the greatness
displayed in this film.

Grade: B