Bullet Boy (2004)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Saul Dibb

Writers:

Saul Dibb (writer)
Catherine Johnson (writer)

Release Date:

8 April 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Pray... They may be your last words...

Plot Keywords:

Ghetto | Gangster | Church | Child Uses Gun | London England

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Leon Black	...	Wisdom
Chris Callendar	...	Ricky's Soliciter
Dora Clouttick
Louise Delamere	...	Probation Officer
Luke Fraser	...	Curtis
Des Hamilton	...	School Teacher
Martin Heathcote	...	CID Officer (credit only)
Gary Henry	...	Randal Cue
Sid Karne	...	Gang Member
Clark Lawson	...	Godfrey
Claire Perkins	...	Beverely
Sharea-mounira Samuels	...	Shea
Greg Tanner	...	Police Officer / SO19 Officer
Rio Tison	...	Rio
Jadiel Vitalis	...	Meadow
Curtis Walker	...	Leon
Ashley Walters	...	Ricky
Sylvester Williams	...	Neville
Jaime Winstone	...	Natalie

Also Known As:

The Boys (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, a strong sex scene, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | USA:R | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Hackney, London, England, UK

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

Sold to its backers at BBC films as "Kes with guns."

Brilliant if you're a Londoner

I wasn't expecting too much of this film before I saw it, but I have to say I was wrong to think it would be dull. Although American audiences -- and, in fact, non-London-dwelling audiences -- probably won't appreciate it for its wonderful depiction of east London, I find myself for once thankful that I live in Hackney. Some scenes around the Hackney Marshes and Lea Valley are astonishingly lush, to the extent that I had my doubts they were actually filmed there, because they present such a contrast to the grubby streets I'm used to, and which are portrayed in other parts of the film.

One of the other things that struck me was the accuracy of the dialogue -- I know this sounds a bit silly, but it's easy to get wrong, and in Bullet Boy there wasn't a word out of place. Lines like "that dog's like my brethren" are faintly amusing, but people do actually speak like that, and Bullet Boy got it exactly right.

I think Bullet Boy is a beautiful film, and have in fact only one gripe besides perhaps its inaccessibility for people who aren't English: the editing-over of a sign at a train station from the station name to 'Platform 2'. I'm an appalling pedant.