Brotherhood

I only gave this movie its score cause daz black was in it and he's class.

Brotherhood is the third in the series of Noel Clarke films set in London and featuring Sam Peel . Sam has grown up and is a different person to the one we saw in Kidulthood but trouble still seems to follow him in the form of an enemy who has come to seek revenge. What I like about these films is they feel very real. Although Brotherhood is more polished than the two previous films it still has that Independent vibe about it. None of the people on show are particularly likable which makes it quite hard to care what happens to them and the language is uncomfortable to hear at times . The main villain's racism seems over the top and unnecessary and kind of spoils what is an interesting film.

Unfortunately the grit of the original two movies is well lost in this episode. The main two gangsters/bad men are completely unbelievable characters. One is like a runty cousin of Danny dyer (some Essex warrior who couldn't scare a granny), and the other 'hugs' comes across as a mincing Turkish footballer, who's acting is very wooden. The acting in general (apart from Noel's) is farcical, along with the Americanised story line , which takes things too far from potential reality. Even Curtis, who was pretty demonic in the second film comes across as a theatrical comedy villain. If you are going to attempt to cast in high level gangsters who run large grossing international business's, then please, make the characters believable. Some orange Essex boy in top shop garms just doesn't cut it. The great thing about the first two films was that they were believable to a certain extent, with the plots mirroring how life can be for large swathes of society in urban environments. For some reason Clarke took this one way beyond those parameters, and failed miserably. If parenthood is to happen as the 4th and final part, then please take it back to the original flavour. There is so much good new music and Yoot's (genuine rude boys who hang with well known grime artists) to ensure Clarke could create a realistic and believable film. Unfortunately, this film waters down the first two and comes across as a way to milk the good will built up.

Kidulthood was a dark, exciting, and insightful look into the London youth culture. Adulthood expertly built on that and showed the struggles of those trying to escape the endless cycle of violence that grips the streets. Both combined danger, humour and awesome urban soundtracks to depict perfectly the modern gang scene- but most importantly- did so in a BELIEVABLE manner. Brotherhood did not reach those standards in any way. The cast failed to live up to the performances of the original movies. The plot seemed very far fetched, and often needs saving by the quite random jokes involving "Henry" (from Adulthood). Instead of the sinister threats posed by Sam Peel in the original, or Jay in the sequel, the audience are treated to an absolutely absurd duo of Daley & Hugz, who just weren't menacing enough in comparison. The involvement of Stormzy (along with his relatively polite well spoken posse) don't really accomplish anything in the movie and appear to be there just to balance out the pointless appearance of Curtis, still reeling from his Nephew's murder 20 odd years on. All in all, Anuvahood was probably more believable than this, I would give it a miss and watch reruns of Channel 4's excellent Top Boy instead.

Noel Clarke brings us the third and final instalment of his self written London street Drama spanning over ten years with KiDULTHOOD released back in 2006, followed by AdULTHOOD in 2008. I have always considered these films the British answer to Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society addressing the tragedies of London's youthful generation. 

I'm a fan of these films by default, purely to having my own fair share of drama with gang fights, drug raids and hospital visits, though don't get me wrong, I'm a good boy I assure you, I was known as 'the sensible one'; it's just my perfect circle of friends have allowed me to witness a life that some people will only see in films like these; I'm more like the Henry's and Ricky's of the street world.

During my troublesome teens back in the nineties, I wanted to make films myself and this was the subject matter of a lot of my stories with friends still urging me to write a book, so naturally when KiDULTHOOD was released I was both annoyed yet inspired by Clarke beating me to it, it's a story I can certainly relate to. 

If you haven't seen the previous films, it does help to fully understand who's who though it's not essential. As a brief recap, Sam (Noel Clarke) murders a fellow street hood Trife, serves time and upon release is truly sorry for what has happened, though the past is rarely forgivable and revenge is always lurking around the corner. No matter how much Sam tries to turn his life around, there's always someone haunting him. 

The deceased Trife's Uncle Curtis, played by Cornell John (he's the sensei in the latest advert for McDonald's chicken sandwiches!) is released from prison and returns to conclude unfinished business with Sam, enlisting the help of some new ruthless faces to make life difficult for Sam and taking things to the extreme. 

There's some powerful portrayals in this movie, especially liking Leeshon Alexander's character HUGS who looks like the love child of Clive Owen and Tom Hardy; and Shanika Warren- Markland's Kayla who from the previous and Clarke's 4.3.2.1. However wasn't so keen on David Ajala's Det. Des or Jason Maza's crime boss Daley. 

It's hard-hitting and probably the most emotional of the trilogy whilst still having it's comical elements, mostly provided by a grown-up Henry. (Arnold Oceng) Obviously, revenge is the main topic but there's a great sense of justice and loyalty portrayed here, especially the scene with Hassan (Chris Ryman) in the kebab shop.

Tom Linden does quite a haunting score, such a nice touch having the ambient hum intensifying dramatic scenes, reminded me of Michael Mann's Heat and of course, the soundtrack that accompanies the film is superb incorporating British rap, hip hop and grime from artists like Stormzy, Asher D, Chip and Lethal Bizzle. It's the perfect soundtrack to represent street life of London and in combination with the locations, it's gives the city the dynamic look it deserves. 

It's obvious Clarke isn't fan of Michael Bay however, he does something Bay is notoriously disliked for, unnecessary nudity, like, lots of it and full frontals. Whilst pleasing to the eye it isn't essential to the film at all and feels like a push to give the film an 18/R certificate. 

Regardless of It's low points it's a perfect conclusion to the trilogy so fans of the previous films should enjoy this as I did. Clarke is a great testament for London film making. Maybe we could fast-forward a few years into PaRENTHOOD being about reputation and struggling to keep your kids from the same fate. 

"R U dizzy blud?" 

Running Time: 7 The Cast: 7 Performance: 7 Direction: 9 Story: 7 Script: 7 Creativity: 9 Soundtrack: 9 Job Description: 8 The Extra Bonus Point: 10 for being a blinding finish to the trilogy innit. Result.

80% 8/10