‘Ink’ TIFF Review: Danny Boyle’s Ruthless Thriller is Perfect—Except for One Bizarre AI Scene

Danny Boyle is almost always a dependable source of cinematic exhilaration. Boyle’s moving pictures seriously move. From 28 Years Later to Slumdog Millionaire all the way to his latest, Ink, he again finds a story well-suited to his breakneck pace.

It’s a fitting approach for his latest subjects, news tycoon Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce) and the man he chooses to reinvent The Sun, Larry Lamb (Jack O’Connell), into a hit newspaper that changed not only England but the world. The two begin as posh underdogs of sorts. Murdoch is a businessman from Australia, and in the face of xenophobia, wants to rule the newspaper game. He finds someone as success-hungry, if not even more so, in Lamb.

A Supervillain Origin Story

No story is too low for Lamb, who wants to shove The Sun down the throats of the more prestigious newsmen. In the kinetic first act, he assembles an oddball team of journalists to reshape the news. Give the people what they want. Make news fun. Cover sex, violence, scandal. Lamb wants it all, and he gets it… at a cost mostly the public endures, not the other way around.

Ink is almost like a supervillain origin story. Through Boyle’s lens, though, and James Graham’s script, which was adapted from a stage play, Lamb is the cutthroat antagonist against the world. He’s unwavering in his pursuit of the no. 1 spot on the charts, and O’Connell plays the lies with intense conviction. He convincingly lies to himself, all under the guise of some noble pursuit he maybe or maybe doesn’t believe.

Picture Credit: Netflix

Punk Rock Ambition

Lamb makes for a compelling trickster to watch. As for the man on top, Murdoch is played as more of an enabler. He protests some choices with the editorial direction of the paper, but he never protests too hard to break Lamb’s winning streak. The paper isn’t for the founder, but like Lamb, he wants everyone reading it.

Ink plays like a ruthless fight, only it’s through paper and words. Here’s where Boyle’s eye for aggression brings serious heat to the dangerous ambition in these two men. His punk rock style suits, oddly, the suits. Boyle understands wanting to see a vision through, and in the early beginnings, he leans into the joy of creating one. He also understands powerful people using a vision not to inspire but to divide – portraying the horror of when he quiets down the camerawork, the editing, and lets audiences watch these corruptible characters at a pace almost in slow motion compared to the speed that came before. Ink does slow down toward the end, but not without reason.

An Uncanny Misstep

Now, there is a false note Boyle hits, partially because it’s so off-brand for him and the story he’s telling. There are 30 seconds of artificial intelligence in the movie. Critics and allies of artificial intelligence will likely agree here: the AI Margaret Thatcher is an uncanny valley from hell. It’s only a matter of (redundant) seconds, but every second counts – especially in a Boyle picture. AI Thatcher derails a movie otherwise as tangible as the papers Lamb and Murdoch print. Plus, it’s just not punk like Boyle, a director who often rails against establishments in his movies.

Picture Credit: Netflix

Tremendous Human Elements

The human beings in front of and behind the camera do tremendous work. Even the smallest of roles in the newsroom feel big, thanks to a stacked room of character actors. Guy Pearce, too, will no doubt get another Oscar nomination for his restraint in portraying Rupert Murdoch. Pearce’s Murdoch is entertaining, almost dangerously so. From the performances to the score to the lighting, Ink is full of life for a story about profoundly deadly consequences.

Watch Ink If You Like…

• Steve Jobs (Boyle’s similarly breakneck, dialogue-heavy biopic)
• Scoop
• Succession
• The Social Network
• The Post

Verdict

PLAY. A kinetic, pulse-pounding dive into the birth of modern tabloid journalism. Aside from a brief and baffling AI misstep, Danny Boyle delivers a visually exhilarating drama anchored by powerhouse, cutthroat performances from Jack O’Connell and Guy Pearce. It’s a stylish, ruthless media brawl you won’t want to look away from.