Noel Clarke's sequel to Kidulthood sees his hero previously jailed for manslaughter being released and finding that the relatives of the man he killed want him dead as well.
The performances are superbly gritty and accurately capture a time and a place among the poorer sections of West London society. The style is slick and well focused on the plot in hand but the drama doesn't really understand itself. The story feels like a collection of second hand clichés about an ex convict going straight faced with a past he's not allowed to leave behind so that he cannot move forward. Worse, these are inadequately integrated into a comprehensive thematic concern with the ethics and morality that separates the men from the boys. This is more about fear of adulthood than an embracing of it.
A related problem is that Noel Clarke has cast himself in a role that requires him to become something of a martyr. This intimates narcissism on his part rather than an in depth exploration of such a character, which partly spoils the denouement. This is, in fact, rendered a little contrived and artificial as he cannot get over the fact that he's playing the part of a man who's playing the part of a tough criminal who's trying to find a new act.
Copyright © 2009 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.
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