Product Details

• Actors: Kate Magowan, Adam Deacon, Noel Clarke, Rafe Spall, Aml Ameen
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: November 11, 2008
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B001DWNUCE
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #61,862 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wearing a school uniform doesn't mean leading a calm life., November 20, 2009

By	Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Two stories entwine (sp?) in this film about London youth. This film did have elements of "Kids," "Boyz N Da Hood," and "Menace II Society," but it was still original and jaw-dropping.
This film shows violent, disrespectful, evildoers, of both genders and many races. They are unlovable characters for which it is hard to root. I thought of the clich'e "If you lie down with dogs" as I watched this. Since the characters are so nasty to their enemies and strangers, it's no surprise that they become nasty with each other.
While American films can be multi-culty, study after study after study show that the US is highly segregated in schools, neighborhoods, and especially marriage. Here you see white, Black, and Asian Brits intermingling frequently. Not one character disapproves of interracial coupling, while in most American films, there is at least one character who would make a fuss about it. Seeing the ethnic bonding throughout the film seemed so unlike the US.
This film also shows a gray area regarding racism in the UK. For example, Black males have trouble getting a cab, but once they do ride in one, they stiff the cabbie. Later, the Black males are spied upon by store security. In the same way that "The Color Puprle" needed Sophia's story in order to show that while Celie was a domestic violence victim, all the characters still lived in a racially-oppressive context, here these mean kids also facee structural inequalities.
I kept asking myself, "Who is the audience for this film!?" I assume most films with young actors are attracting a young market. However, I did wonder if the film was meant to make adult scream, "What is this world coming to?!" This was just another film portraying youth as a "lost generation." Still, I wonder if young viewers would get a kick or laugh watching their parents and elders squirm at the destructive acts shown in this film.
This was an interesting study in how groups oftentimes exacerbate the bad deeds of individual members. The film does try to have a redemptive quality by its end. Further, this has a great British rap soundtrack that rap fans in the US may love. Sensitive viewers should stay away from this film, but the work is a valuable cultural product.