Bluff

I watched this as it was mentioned in a news article. I definitely wanted to watch it especially as I had read about the director making this film in a budget of £1500! The film is well made and keeps the viewer engaged with elements of suspense. The characters are well thought out and the roles excellently executed. A must watch!!

I came across this film by accident. The story is about a policeman, Detective Sargeant Danny Miller (Danny) who goes undercover in an attempt to discover how the drug scene works in a certain area.

He starts off slow at first, befriending other local addicts who introduce him to local dealers. Danny is after more than this however, and manages to gain the trust of one of the bigger dealers.

At this point, things start to go downhill. Danny has had to 'cross the line' to gain peoples trust. And its a slippery slope. So it becomes a battle about the law, morals and betrayal.

What is good about the film is the small intricacies that make this film seem very real. The acting is mixed, ranging from excellent to quite poor depending on the character. But this does not negatively impact the film.

I don't know if there is any truth to this story, but the director either has experience of the underground street dealing that most don't witness or he has had a lot of help with research.

The film almost feels as though its been made with a personal passion. The director understands why people take drugs, sells drugs and the impact pil8ce are having on the 'war on drugs'.

I was not planning to experience this quality from a YouTube freebie. The writing is really worth the work the movie demands of the viewer. I enjoyed the cinematography from what is basically a three man show. There are very few holes, considering the budget.

There is a mosaic like quality to the way the scenes assemble themselves into a whole that I found rewarding. Although some of the segs are a little rough at first sight, as the movie proceeds, they become easier to comprehend.

I will dwell as little as possible on the budget, which makes this flick the stuff of legend, simply because it stands on its own irrespective of that consideration. This simply a legitimate work of art.

An angry, gritty grenade of a film, that questions the ends, the means, and everything in between of UK drug laws.

An inspiring debut by Sheikh Shahnawaz - one of the best Midlands' directors since Shane Meadows.

Nolan-esque in all the right ways, and with a third act that'll hit you much harder than 'The Departed'.

Phenomenal score by Savfk.

The film's genius is the tangled ties between Gurj Gill's ambitious cop and Jason Adam's abandoned junkie.

Director: Sheikh Shahnawaz

Writer: Sheikh Shahnawaz (Screenplay)

Starring: Gurj Gill, Jason Adam, Nisaro Karim, James Jaysen Bryhan (Shadow and Bone) Joe Egan (Sherlock Holmes) .

Bluff starts when a London Police officer Danny Miller (Gill) accepts an offer to go undercover from his superior, Detective Collins (Bryhan) in the heroin world in a small town, making friends with addict Cooks (Adam), to learn about the other connections within the area.

The line between his job and being a criminal becomes hazy, as his investigation becomes dangerous the closer he gets to finding out the source of the drug trafficker.

The performances from Gill, Adam Karim and Bryhan (though we don't really see much of his character, we see an amazing amount of emotions from being Gill's superior to being a father figure and I personally would've liked to see more of the relationship between Gill and Bryhan) are fantastic.

What's wonderful about this film, aside from telling a story of a cop going undercover(which we've all seen) is that the story resonates around Cooks (Adam) addiction and how he deals with it. That was quite refreshing and i was invested in his character.

I hope that there is a sequel and though I won't give away the ending, I'd like to see what happens next between Collins(Bryhan) and Miller(Gill).

Overall, a 9 out of 10 for me as i believe the appearances of Egan and Bryhan as established known actors sell the film with a virtually unknown cast.