Eran Creevy's second feature, Welcome To The Punch, looks set to establish him as a filmmaker to watch. Upscaling from smart Brit thriller Shifty, Creevy's latest unleashes the greatest maestrom of gangster mayhem on London's docklands since The Long Good Friday. Screen Daily has laid its mitts on a first look at the film's protagonist, copper Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy).
Alongside McAvoy,** Welcome To The Punch** sees ex-con Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) return to London from his Icelandic hideout when his son is involved in a heist gone wrong. The pair have bitter history and Lewinsky fancies the opportunity to take down his old nemesis. That's right: it's the carnage-happy stars of **Wanted **and **Green Lantern **unleashed on the streets of East London. Remember the Olympics, lads.
Creevy and his crew took time out of last summer's Canary Wharf shoot to tell Big Screen about the film. "I want to do a French Connection, or a Heat, an Infernal Affairs, Hard Boiled-style film, but set in London," the director told The 02 crowd. "I wanted it to be aspirational, make London slick – make it all glass chrome, skyscrapers, and nuanced performances.”
Judging by the new still, Creevy has nailed that sharp, neon-tinged aesthetic. This is the most Michael Mann-like thing you'll see this side of Long Beach.
](http://www.screendaily.com/reports/spotlight-on-international-projects/welcome-to-the-punch/5036884.article?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Co-starring with McAvoy and Strong are actress-of-the-moment Andrea Riseborough, Shifty's Daniel Mays, and Peter Mullan. There should be a credit for one Ridley Scott, too. He took time out from **Prometheus **to lend a hand in the editing suite.
Welcome To The Punch is out in the UK later this year.