It’s really hard to get a handle on what William Monahan is doing tonally with London Boulevard in the first trailer for his directorial debut. At first, it seems like a zany gangster comedy in the vein of Guy Ritchie; Ritchie seems to be the comparison everyone else is using, and it’s understandable why they’d want to market it that way.

But when “London Calling” kicks in, it starts looking more serious and more in the vein of Monahan’s The Departed.

Whatever the case may be, it looks promising. Monahan is an excellent writer and from the looks of a visual standpoint, he could be an interesting director as well. There’s some pretty well done money shots here, and hopefully the film itself is full of that same gritty pop style.

And come on, a film with both Anna Friel and Keira Knightley? What’s not to be excited for there? You also can never go wrong with Ray Winstone in gangster mode either.

There’s still no US release date, but early 2011 is expected.

What do you think of London Boulevard‘s first trailer?