UK Release: 3rd October 2006
With its abrasive blend of council-estate attitude, scally wit and hip-hop cool, 23 year-old Greg Hall’s directorial debut feels like a cross between Lock, Stock… and Bullet Boy rather than the British La Haine. Considering it was produced for just £3,500, this is a laudable achievement that keeps its quartet of mixed-race London lads one step ahead of the dealers, neo-Nazis and cops who threaten to ruin their weekend.
Although it occasionally paints a very bleak picture of a juvenile underclass, it also packs the action with edgy humour and a communal vibrancy that is spiritedly conveyed by newcomers Samuel Anoyke, Brett Harris, David Bonnick Jr and Nur Alam Rahman. The ending falls a bit flat after so much lively incident, but the only major misjudgement is the series of rap monologues delivered directly to camera by Skinnyman, as they jar badly with the film’s otherwise naturalistic feel.
***
UK cinema certificate 18
Running time 103mins
Review by David Parkinson
Pocket Films Blog 