Director Danny Boyle returns to the screen with Ink, a fast-paced drama-slash-biopic about the rebirth of The Sun, Britain’s divisive and biggest-selling tabloid newspaper. Based on the acclaimed play of the same name by James Graham, it stars Jack O’Connell as editor Larry Lamb and Guy Pearce as publisher Rupert Murdoch.

The film opens in 1969, not long before the Moon landing, with Murdoch recruiting Lamb and tasking him with creating a tabloid newspaper that will rival the sales of bitter rival The Mirror, which just so happens to be controlled by Lamb’s former mentor Hugh Cudlipp (Bertie Carvel). Lamb duly recruits a crack team of journalists that includes his lover Jules Hopkirk (Claire Foy), photographer Beverley Goodway (Angus Imrie) and crime reporter Brian McConnell (Brian Gleeson).

Regardless of your feelings towards Murdoch and his controversial media empire, there’s an undeniable thrill in watching the paper take shape and the various pieces click into place, from the creation of the italicised logo (“At an angle, like Gene Kelly in Singin’ In The Rain”) to the deliberate sourcing of scandalous material including the serialisation of a banned book. One key scene has Lamb urging his team to shout out things they like: boxing, television, the weather (which had never been written about in papers before) and, of course, sex.

The dialogue is delicious throughout, with much of it lifted directly from the source material. In addition, the film is directed and edited in thrilling, urgent style, with scenes that feel like they are flying off the frequently featured printing presses.

O’Connell is simply terrific as Lamb, delivering a captivating, charismatic performance that could easily pick up some awards attention with a prevailing wind. The film presents him as a bona fide genius, a man with a vision and the impressive ability to bring it to life, as well as a willingness to do the unexpected. A scene where he drives to a small northern town to protest the banning of the paper is one of several highlights.

Pearce is solid as Murdoch, though he is given surprisingly little to do. The scenes we do get don’t really tally with our expectations for the character either. To that end, the most telling moment comes when he’s humiliated on television in an interview with David Frost (Nick Biadon), a slight that ignites an already burning desire for revenge against the establishment.

Elsewhere, Claire Foy is reliably excellent as Jules, bringing warmth and humour to the film, especially when explaining to the assembled male journalists that their wives and girlfriends also indulge in masturbation. There’s strong support from former Inbetweener Blake Harrison as subeditor Ray Mills, Jonathan Hyde as Murdoch’s deputy Alick McKay and Abigail Amlin, in a small but crucial role as Stephanie Rahn, who became the paper’s first Page 3 Girl.

For the most part, Boyle focuses on the creation of the paper and the various elements that lead to its growth and success (represented by its position on a sales chart in Lamb’s office). However, the latter part of the film contains an extended segment that explores provocative questions about tabloid morality, after Alick’s wife is kidnapped and held for ransom (something that apparently hadn’t happened in England for 800 years). Lamb goes against police wishes by reporting the story. In short, this is a beautifully written and superbly directed origin story that’s thought-provoking, thrilling and laugh-out-loud funny.

Details

  • Director: Danny Boyle
  • Starring: Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, Claire Foy
  • Release date: January 8, 2027 (in UK cinemas)

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