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Visitors Review

davideo-2 2012-05-21 00:47:21

Over-whelmingly depressing at points but every bit as uncompromising and relevant as the original

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Six years after the first film finished, Sam (Noel Clarke) has beenreleased from prison for the manslaughter of Trife. But althoughsociety's forgiven him, the street's haven't, a fact he becomes quicklyaware of when he pays a visit to Trife's grave and is attacked by a guywith a knife, who warns him that Trife's friends are out for blood andhim and his family are in danger. Concerned for the safety of his mumand his brother, he desperately goes around all his old haunts tryingto find out who's looking for him. And as he does, he must fully cometo terms with the devastation his fateful actions that night six yearsago had, on his mother, the mother of Trife's daughter, his brother andTrife's friends, including Moony (Femi Oyeniran) who's made somethingof his life and is studying law and on the other end of the coin Jay(Adam Deacon) the hyper-mouthed, aggressive one from the first filmwho's now a drug dealer and is especially insistent that Sam must paythe ultimate price for killing his friend...2006's Kidulthood wasn't intended, I don't think, as much of amainstream film, just a simple commentary on deprived inner city youththat would hopefully shock a few people into action and give them foodfor thought. Nevertheless, it developed a bit of a cult status andthis, the follow up film, has enjoyed much more widespread anticipationand publicity as a result. Certainly, when I originally went to see iton Saturday night, imagine my shock when I was told by the cashier, forthe first time in ages and ages since I've been to the cinema, that ithad sold out! It was certainly quite packed when I went to see ittonight, actually, I found myself surrounded by young guys about my agein baseball caps and flairy tracksuits, so it's reached it's targetdemographic. It's sad, though, that aside from making money, the filmis very relevant, as over the last year or so we have been bombarded inthe news with gun/knife crime amongst kids in inner city areas, likethe film is portraying, but it is good that while the film highlightsthis, it finishes on a positive message.Like with the original, Clarke, as star, writer and director, has takenno prisoners and has delivered a film that is every bit as raw,unflinching and hard hitting as the original, with a blaring, pumpingheavy gangsta rap soundtrack hollering over everything that never letsup through-out the film. At times it all gets a bit much, and the filmcan get over-whelmingly depressing, hearing all these charactersshouting, swearing and firing broken English at each other, certainlyno Salvation Army workers here, but you have to find light where youcan see it and Adulthood does manage some funny scenes and, as alreadystated, a positive ending that sends out the right message todis-affected youth.It never quite feels as good as the original, but what is? Appreciatedon it's own, this isn't a bad film at all, inspired, relevant, ratherbleak but very well made. ****

Jackson Booth-Millard 2012-05-20 16:29:53

Adulthood

Originally just the writer of the first film, Kidulthood, Doctor Who'sNoel Clarke also takes the director's chair for this sequel to the hitteenage social drama film. Basically, it has been six years since hekilled Trife, and released from prison, Sam Peel (Clarke) can't escapethe life he now doesn't want to live anymore. Jay (Dead Set's AdamDeacon), a friend of Trife, wants to get revenge on Sam so much that heis prepared to have him killed. Sam is trying to get the message acrossto all after him that he no longer wants to create violence, and thathe didn't mean to kill Trife. Lexi (EastEnders' Scarlett Alice Johnson)is one of the only people on his side and trying to help him, but atthe same time, she is willing to double cross to get what she wants,i.e. drugs. In the end, Sam and Jay confront each other, Jay with a gunand Sam with a baseball bat, and even though Jay can't face killinghim, and Sam has tried to give his peace, Jay warns him that it isn'tover. Also starring Jacob Anderson as Omen, Ben Drew as Dabs, DannyDyer as Hayden, Kidulthood's Femi Oyeniran as Moony, ShanikaWarren-Markland as Kayla, Kidulthood's Red Madrell as Alisa, NathanConstance as Ike, Lenny Henry in Pieces' Cornell John as Uncle Curtisand Don Klass as Blammy. Clarke deservedly won the BAFTA for BestRising Star, he directs the film with great skill. It is a shame notall the same cast could come back, e.g. Jaime Winstone (Ray's daughter)and Rafe Spall (Timothy's son), but it is a great sequel none-the-less.Good!

MovieGuy01 2012-05-06 20:25:58

Brilliant follow on film from Kidulthood...

I just watched Adulthood this evening ,and i thought that it was abrilliant film that carried on from where kidulthood ended. It beginswhere Sam Peel is released from jail for killing Trife after six years.he is forced to see the people that he left behind that night and toface the consequences for what he did to them, after he murdered Trifeall those years ago. A lot of things have changed since Sam has beenreleased from jail, and a new gang of people are after him. I thinkthat Sam was a fantastic actor in the film. as well as all the otheractors that showed how hard it is to live life on the streets of Londonwithout getting involved in gun or knife crimes. The film featured alot of strong violence. I think that the film gives out a strongmessage to young people in Britain theses days not to get involved withviolence

janet 2012-05-06 14:28:51

I'm getting OLD

I tend to seek out art and indie films as they tend to be better. Period! More thought-provoking, character studies & insight. Well, I watched this wondering COULD this be an accurate sampling of London's poor kids? Can England truly be this bad? (I've traveled through Europe extensively on 2 trips but never to England). Can there be this raucous and outrageous violence simply manifesting in the middle of a public street without interruption (often during daylight)? Where were the rest of the public, hiding in their houses? (Didn't see them out and about). How honest a portrayal, can't say! BUT MOSTLY, without closed captioning I wouldn't have followed ONE WORD----What the heck...blood? TING? (did that mean "THING", still dunno!) Good THING I don't have to decipher dialects for a living or to survive, I'd be dead by now. Yep, must be I'm too old for this story depicted OVER And OVER again. I don't find I learn much new OR certainly get entertained.

valleyjohn 2012-05-06 05:00:04

Noel Clarke is so impressive

Two years ago there was a hard hitting gritty British film releasedcalled Kidulthood. A drama about inner city kids and their way of life.Adulthood it the follow up set 6 years later and not only has multitalented lead actor , writer and director Noel Clarke managed torecapture the feel of the first movie , he has managed to better it. After Sam Peel is released from jail for killing Trife, he findsdifficulty adjusting to life on the outside. He is forced to confrontthe people he hurt, trying to find out which one is seeking revenge onhim. While Sam tries to cope with the effect his actions had on thepeople he knew, he finds himself being hunted by a group of youngthugs, who seem to be following the same path as Sam had in the past –but why are they hunting him and who are they?Sam's first day of freedom will be one he never forgets and asimportant in his life as the one that lost him his freedom in the firstplace. Sam is about to go from Kidulthood to Adulthood, if he survives…If you read the British tabloids you would think that London was fullof gun toting , knife wielding teenagers eager to kill anybody who getsin their way. Of coarse it's not true, London is no worse than anyother big city but small truths like that don't sell newspapers.Noel Clarke has made a film that brings the life of these young adultsto a wider audience. None of the characters are likable in fact theyare a bloody annoying bunch . They are either using drugs , having sexor fighting and although they aren't the sort of people you would wantto mix with you still somehow end up feeling concerned for their plight. Especially convicted Murderer Sam.You don't have to have seen Kidulthood to enjoy Adulthood if enjoy isthe right word to use. It's a film to admire rather than enjoy becauseof it's dark nature.The cinematography is fantastic . There are shots of London that arebreathtaking but i can't see the London tourist board asking to usethem!There is one scene in particular where we seen three situations beingplayed out on the same screen with each scenario moving in differentdirections. It's a very clever sequence and unlike anything i have seenbefore.It takes a while to get used to the street slang that is used and timesand i could have done with some subtitles myself and I'm from London !God knows what the American audience will make of Adulthood but i wasreally impressed with it. Alongside "Sugarhouse" it's one of the bestBritish movies i have seen this year.Noel Clarke should be proud of Adulthood.8 out of 10

Kelly 2012-05-05 20:12:56

adam deakon

i think he plays a great part,they all do .i love this film .proper good,it was better than kidulthood i thought,i cant wait to watch noel clarkes 4321

freemantle_uk 2012-04-29 07:51:23

Nothing special

In 2006 a little film called Kidulthood was released in Britain with alot of media controversy with it bleak look at inner city life forteenagers. I personally didn't rate the film but people really love it,helped the careers of Noel Clarke and Jamie Winstone. Two years laterNoel Clarke has gone back to his creation in an unpredicted sequel.Sam (Noel Clarke) is released from prison after a 6 year sentence formurder of Trife at the end of Kidulthood. Straight away he visitsTrife's grave and is attacked by a man, claiming that people want Samdead. Sam is thrown straight into his mission to find and stop thepeople hunting him before they hurt him and his loved ones. He startsby appoarching people he went to school with, including Claire(Madeleine Fairley), his ex-girlfriend, one of Trife's old friendsMoony (Femi Oyeniran), now a uni student, Lexi (Scarlett AliceJohnson), Becky's cousin and Alisa (Red Madrell), Trife'sex-girlfriend. One of Trife's friends, Jay (Adam Deacon) has become adrug dealing, and a low level gangster. He had a particular grudgeagainst Sam. So does Trife's uncle who is a leading gangster in WestLondon and the Jamaican community. Sam has to fight off a number ofattempted hits in the space of a day on his first day out of prison.Adulthood can easily be put in the sections of unexpected sequel andunnecessary sequel. Adulthood is a better film then Kidulthood, but itdoesn't mean it's a good film. Plus Kidulthood did at least have a goodfirst 10 minutes. My problems with Kidulthood were that it had a verynegative portrayal of British youth, and is very unrealistic. Adulthoodhas a similar problem, that it's very unrealistic that all that happensin the film happens in one day and there are moments that are sostereotypical with it's portrayal of a Middle class man and hisgirlfriend, and of students that it's unbelievable. I thought themiddle class bloke was too stupid and a bit insulting. There are othermoments that were also unrealistic, like when Claire attempted toshout, with people looking at her and Sam and did nothing.Adulthood does improve in other areas. The acting is better, even withcast members from the previous film. Sam also is a more realisticcharacter, and even likable character, despite what he did. I thoughthe was the most pathetic 'hard man' in the previous film. Noel Clarkeis a pretty good actor. Noel Clarke also moves into the director'schair, and he is an improvement to Menhaj Huda. Noel Clarke has abetter visual style, with some good shots and editing tricks. He getbetter performers out of his actors, and avoids the mistakes Huda madewith the pacing of the film. I however did not like some of the slowmotion and still tricks that he used, and he did use a bit too muchshaky cam for my liking. Clarke has potential as a director, but hisweakness is his writing. He needs to make his characters, even minorcharacters, and his premise more realistic.** out of *****

atish_jadhav 2012-04-28 23:11:20

Its a great pleasure to watch this movie

I was little apprehensive before watching this movie as I did not seethe first one from Noel Clark and did not know about rest of the starcast as well. Watching the trailer on the youtube tempted me to watchthat on big! After watching this movie I felt like F***ing awesomemovie! Noel who played Sam in this movie was an excellent work by theactor cum director cum story writer. He justified his job along withall of the rest characters in the flick. He has shown the kind of angerone can carry and at the same time the one who can get himself calmdown by forgetting everything which has happened in the past. Hisendeavors to live his future life peacefully, were portrayedsuccessfully and the intense feeling were well acted by Noel. Loved themusic at the background, that too when Sam moves to work on hisdecision, Mooney decides to stay back and calm down his anger, Lexikeep on waiting for Sam.

bob the moo 2012-04-26 05:48:01

Similar to Kidulthood in that it is effective in its breadth but doesn't have the substance or complexity that one might hope for

I wasn't all that taken by Kidulthood when I watched it a few yearsback but it was solid enough and professionally made so I thought I'dfollow it with the sequel. Set six years after the original film, wejoin the majority of the original cast on the day that Sam comes out ofprison after doing his time for the killing of Trife. Some of thoseinvolved have moved on, some are still in the same situation they werethen while others have nothing but that night on their minds and areseeking revenge on Sam for what he did – either by their own hands orby any one of countless up and coming boys looking to have a name madefor them.In picking this plot in particular the film sets out its stall verymuch to be about these events rather than the characters – again thisis the same as the first film, which didn't do a great job in creatingpeople so much as it did in creating a reasonably good narrative flow.For many this will be enough and the film does have enough of a "world"to it that it is easy to watch it. The problem comes when you want tobe convinced by it, because the story isn't really strong enough (orlogical enough) to really engage. It is not that it doesn't have stuffgoing in in sufficient quantities (it does) it is just that they offernothing beyond this. Don't get me wrong, I found it easy to watch andget into but it felt like little had been done on the actual charactersthemselves. Physically it has been worked out where they are andattitude-wise they all have a broad sketch to them but this doesn't gettranslated well into words in the actors' mouths and as a result thefilm does feel superficial. The additional downside to this is that,although the film doesn't glamorise these lives, by not being morehonest and complex it does feel like there is a certain amount ofvalidation within it.Clarke has done pretty well as writer/director/star though and he hasproduced a solid film where others may have only made a mess. OK it isnot perfect but it is a good stab. His Sam sums up the strengths andweakness – he is supposed to be tired of violence but yet doesn't showthat in his actions while any hurt in him is shown in simple ways. Heholds the attention well but not below the surface. The supporting castdo pretty well but all have the same "lack of complexity" issue to dealwith in their performances. Johnson, Deacon, Drew and others are allpretty good while Madrell returns for a few scenes and continues to becute.Overall Adulthood is a good companion piece to Kidulthood because theyboth carry the same strengths and weaknesses. The setting and eventsengage on the surface and have a good pace to them but the lack ofanything decent below this is a problem that affects how much one getsinto it but also how well the cast can do with their thinly developedcharacters. Worth seeing even if it could have been better.

Leofwine_draca 2012-04-25 23:27:50

Effective sequel

I found ADULTHOOD to be a decent film and one which actually surpassesthe original. The reason is that I prefer the plot: I find the story ofa sole character's redemption on the mean streets of London to be morefocused and compelling than the multi-character narratives of the firstfilm, KIDULTHOOD. At times, ADULTHOOD feels like nothing less than amodern-day western, with characters forming alliances and battling itout in a virtually lawless society.Noel Clarke goes from strength to strength, undertaking not one, nottwo, but three separate roles here. First and foremost he directs,giving the movie the kind of gritty realism it desperately needs.Secondly he writes, crafting an interesting tale populated by engagingcharacters. Finally he acts, and delivers a fine performance as a manstruggling to come to terms with his identity and place in society.The supporting cast are fine – some delivering over-the-topperformances, others more restrained and heartfelt, as the scriptrequires. Overall, ADULTHOOD has a refreshing honesty about it thatstems from the lives of the people it depicts: it tells their story inan unpretentious, almost documentary style, with plenty of naturalhumour and a great deal of emotion.

Jim Crosbie 2012-04-23 03:29:51

Adulthood or Infantile?

Yet another example of Film Council Money squandered on a so called"worthy" project. "Adulthood" seems as if it was made by someone on awork experience scheme attached to "Eastenders". In other words atotally unrealistic portrayal of life in London.A "film" (actually more like a teatime kids TV programme with swearing)completely devoid of wit, humour, style or intelligence. Infantile,clichéd dialogue, one dimensional characterisation and dreadful actingnot worthy of a school play.I sincerely hope the Film Council don't give this director any moremoney until he grows up and finds something interesting to tell anaudience.A sad and depressing indictment of the British film industry at present

SeanyB2007 2012-04-22 17:32:00

Kidulthood > Adulthood

I was excited to watch this film, I saw Kidulthood when it first cameout in 2006 and it wasn't very popular then. I think that anyone who isconsidering going watching Adulthood without having already seenKidulthood should think again. The whole plot revolves around whathappened in the first film.Anybody who has seen both films should agree that Kidulthood is thebetter of the two. The storyline is clearer and easier to follow and itis not as dark or as serious as Adulthood until the very end. HoweverAdulthood is an amazing film with an excellent performance from NoelClarke as a director and an actor. Even though I don't think thatAdulthood lived up to its predecessor, It is definitely worth a watch.I think that Adam Deacon steals the show, as he did in Kidulthood and Ilike how the film shows how peoples lives can change as a result of anevent such as the death of Trife in the first film. For example, Jay isclearly affected more by the death of his friend and he turns todealing drugs and theft whereas Mooney (or Robert) goes to Universityand studies law.I love the concept of both films and could watch either of them overand over.

johnnyboyz 2012-04-15 06:26:42

Clarke returns with a lead role both on and behind the camera, as the lives of disparate young adults going through terrifying stages of anger, hatred and regret are studied.

Adulthood is Noel Clarke's companion piece to a 2006 film about thesame characters operating under the canopy of secondary school, in whatwas a film named Kidulthood. Here, the characters have grown up; someonly in a sense of physicality as their putrid, misogynistic andcrime-ridden mental side remains, the veering down of separate routes aresult of this when separate lines of employment; university studiesand criminal activity occupy most of their lives. At its core is thepremise to a situation people of both this ilk and age group need toobserve, that being that a young man has to come to terms with what hewas like prior to a tragic event and realising prior attitudes towardshis own masculinity and outlook on power were incorrect as he enters anew existence. The film veers away from its precursor in the sense itadheres more to a set strand or story arc, shifting away fromgeneralisations or archetypal youngsters supposedly typical ofcontemporary British youth, and more into plot; story or a characterwith an stance on a situation with which he takes issue, instigates anaction and thus causes narrative.If Clarke comes up with any more films in the overall series as thecharacters grow further still and maintain the disturbing misadventuresthey have, the franchise as a whole will surely come to resembleMichael Apted's Up series by way of the genre makeup of something likeThe Godfather. In Adulthood, a supporting act from the first film inClarke's own character Sam is taken and placed at the forefront; astretch in prison for an event which would spoil the first film havingchanged him and caused his outlook to shift. The film unfolds in aworld in which assaults and crimes occur on somewhat busy publicstreets, but locales in which nobody ever seems entirely bothered bythese events unfolding, creating an effectively distorted, dystopianfeel to proceedings in the London this unfolds in. It retains thatmulti stranded approach Kidulthood adopted, rather than putting acrossthat sense of these people just existing within this messed up;hostile; concrete world of crime and sleaze, Adulthood covers the talesof a man having to fit back into society and rebuild decrepit relationsand avoid others wanting revenge on this same man for whom he killedduring the climax of Kidulthood.A sense of neo realism is lost, substituted for causality and reactionsborn out of actions; but the detraction is minimal and there's enoughhere to recommend the film as a decent piece of work. Adulthoodrefreshingly fleshes out both parties stuck in this battle for blood,revenge and peace, on one strand outlining the potential victim as thissore and regretful figure; one on the other, outlining how easy it isto become reconnected to old habits and former acquaintances of whomyou want nothing to do with, as respectful university student Moony(Oyeniran) clashes face to face with his buddy Jay (Deacon) about thenotion of revenge and the criminality that drags with it in tow. On athird interconnected strand, a young skinhead named Dabs (Drew) showsdisturbing promise as a criminal also charged with finding and killingSam for a fee; something which goes against what his own teenage thugcohorts think on the matter.It is Clarke's character Sam whom returns and takes the reigns of theprotagonist, a man now with experiences of prison after havingpreviously thought himself to already be of that ilk. Bullying thoseweaker than yourself; maintaining a sordid relationship with a memberof the opposite sex and existing to cause grief and terror were the runof the mill in a previous incarnation, something that got him to jailand meetings with those he no doubt saw himself as becoming had he notchanged his ways. His chief confidant is a former girlfriend whom wasnever anything more than a sexual stress release in Lexi (Johnson),with whom he's able to share a common bond as they exist on a similarplateau of both being victims of their own ill-conceived or naiveattitudes towards the sorts of company they kept, and their attitudestowards these people. The link is made apparent as they only threatento become intimate, and they share a moment in which memories of pastnegative experiences become too strong.For Lexi, the past link to sex addict Becky from the first film saw herbecome the victim of a rape, although the charges against theperpetrators were dropped because of Becky as consistent company. InSam, the physical suffering in prison at the hands of a relative of theboy he killed at the end of Kidulthood, as he's cut and abused with ametal stake, is observed. Rather than draw on daft parallels as towhich event is any less demeaning or traumatic for the victim, orindeed even link the events in a case of physical similarity, the studyis more preoccupied with these happenings as a catalyst for maturity inthe individual, a forcing them into thinking what their identity orpersonality is and the sorts of company they feel they should keep. Thefilm isn't as good as its 2006 counterpart, but offers a taut andsimilarly uncompromising documentation of a handful of characters. Aneye is kept on the main goal of demonisation, in that one sequence seesClarke provide us with an early split screen documentation outliningtwo different scenarios for separate youths. One is Sam's writingaround on the street having suffered a beating at the hands of apartner of a girl he knew years ago, an event the ultimate result ofwhat he did in the past, in stark contrast to that of Moony takingnotes in a law lecture at university. The idea and message is clear,one that the film explores interestingly and engagingly enough so as tonot feel like a lecture.

FlashCallahan 2012-04-14 20:56:09

are you dizzy blood?.....

Six years after Sam Peel is released from jail for killing Trife, herealises that life is no easier on the outside than it was on theinside and he's forced to confront the people he hurt the most.Some have moved on, others are stuck with the repercussions of hisactions that night, but one thing's for certain - everyone has beenforced to grow up.Through his journey Sam struggles to deal with his sorrow and guilt andsomething else he didn't expect - those seeking revenge.As he's pursued by a new generation of bad boys, Sam sets about tryingto get the message across to his pursuers that they should stop theviolence.Much like Trife tried to tell him all those years ago.....A worthy follow up to kidulthood, this could also have been calledSam's redemption, as he is now a shadow of the character he was in thefirst film. And this is why Clarkes film works so well, because younever know if Sam will crack and begin to be the person he once was.There were times when i thought he would go back to his ways, but heonly commits violence in this to protect himself, not because of wrath.It's well scripted, and well cast. If you are from the UK, you willknow that the 'gangsta' accents, a lot of the cast use are spot on, andalso very annoying, just like in real life.The ending is a bit over the top, and Danny Dyer has no real reason tobe in this film, apart from acting the geezer, but these are minorquibbles in an otherwise terrific story.Looks like Clarke could be big.He even references doctor who when he is on the bus.

2012-04-13 18:48:02

Great sequel!!1

Great sequel! Both movies were good! Being a blood aint easy. Funny how one event in your life can change you forever

satydg 2012-04-13 08:55:31

Brilliantly summarised movie..definitely worth a watch

I had not watched Kidhood, the prequel to this movie but was so damnmoved by Adulthood. I later realised that you don't need to watch thepart 1 of it. Sam , the character was strong and genuine andin-your-face types and the movie, for sure, portrayed the undergroundlife of the youngsters in the UK.Worth a watch for sure and recommended for a critics award. Theviolence scenes were brutal at times but am sure the movie demanded thesame.Hats off to the director for bringing out raw talents out of theseyoung actors and highlighting the growing problems of young crimes inthis country.

dlekic 2012-04-10 19:31:42

A film cannot be worse than this...

Adulthood is yet another crime/drama film from UK which tries (andfails in my humble opinion) to capture street life. It is obviouslywritten by a person who has no idea about London underground. Shamethat person is the very person who is the main actor, director andwriter - Noel Clarke. I must admit I had higher hopes for this filmwhen I saw Noel among the list of actors. Unfortunately I must say thatNoel's acting in this film is of the same "quality" as his directingand writing - POOR.Seriously, this film has no meaning, no message, nothing. It is a filmmade for a sole purpose to make something out of nothing. Usually suchattempts result in - NOTHING. Luckily there are people who have nobrains all around the world, so I guess people behind this projecttarget that of audience.If you are a teenager fool of anger, and/or you can identify withaggressive gang or drug-dealers wannabes, or small-scale criminals,this film might be for you, if you are a person who wants SOMETHING ofartistic value, you might want to try some other (crime) film. This isyet another film for which I really wish I could have given a zero, ifI could...

JoeytheBrit 2012-04-10 12:13:51

Powerful Inner-City Drama

Adulthood is the first English-language film I've ever had to watchwith subtitles because I couldn't understand what the characters weresaying. Almost without exception the young actors speak a strangulatedversion of the language through a Caribbean-affected drawl that makesevery other word unintelligible. Americans – who I've seen in otherfilm's reviews commenting on the difficulty of following, say, acockney accent (which British people can easily understand) – won'thave a hope of figuring out what they are talking about.Happily, that's pretty much the only complaint (although it's anobservation rather than a complaint) as Noel Clarke has delivered apowerful sequel to his highly acclaimed Kidulthood. I hadn't seen thatfilm when I saw this, but it isn't really necessary in order tounderstand what is going on. Clarke plays a young man on his first dayout of prison who finds himself the target of the friend of the youthhe killed six years before. His character, eyes opened by a spell inprison that has shown him how deluded he was before he went inside whenhe considered himself to be a big man, is played low-key, in contrastto those of all the other youths, including the small-time dealer, afriend of Clarke's victim, who puts a contract out on him.Clarke gets under the skin of these characters without forcing them tostep outside of their tough shells to blurt out insightful speeches.The dealer's insecurity is evident in the exaggerated swagger, thehabitual aggression that constantly threatens to boil over intoviolence or rage. Like an old man he is resistant to change and fearfulof losing more friends – even if it's to an education and a woman whoisn't fazed by his in-your-face attitude. Adam Deacon nails the partperfectly and easily gives the best performance in a film which ismarked by the quality of the acting.Everyone else is looking for a way out of the gloomy inner-city junglewhile ensuring, by the nature of their activities, that they will neverleave. Clarke's wrapping up of the story offers no solutions or fakehappy endings: 'This isn't over,' the defeated Jay cries, and his wordsrefer as much to the character's entrapment in their dispiriting urbanprison as it does to his feud with Clarke…

seawalker 2012-04-08 02:12:46

As good as "Kidulthood", if not better

"Adulthood" was the sequel to "Kidulthood". "Kidulthood" was certainlynot a subtle movie and neither was "Adulthood"."Adulthood" was low budget, rough around the edges, harsh, brutal, andtotally engrossing. Sometimes the acting of the young cast wasvariable, but it's best performers - writer/director/lead actor NoelClarke, Scarlet Alice Johnson (in the role obviously originallyintended to be Jamie Winstone's 'Becky' character from "Kidulthood")and Adam Deacon - managed to imbue their roles with a ring of truth."Adulthood" got by on relevance (the debate about gang culture and guncrime is constantly in British newspapers at the moment), raw power andenergy. In fact "Adulthood" had enough raw power and energy to silencean unruly audience of mobile phone carrying teenage boys, wearingbaseball caps and trousers that were too big for them. At least it didin the screening that I attended. Maybe they were shocked at seeingversions of themselves up on the big screen?I thought that "Adulthood" was as good as "Kidulthood", if not better.There is so much more to Noel Clarke than being known as a "Doctor Who"companion. You mark my words, he is a name to watch.

Helmut 2012-04-07 11:20:00

What?

Couldn't understand what they were saying. They needed to have English subtitles for an English movie! It says I need to have a longer review so I am writing this to have a longer review.