Released in
2004 the film revolves around the stories of 18 year old Ricky, recently released from a Youth
Offenders prison and his much younger brother Curtis.
The area of
London where they live is shown as one where even a minor street clash over
damage to the wing mirror of a car is able to escalate into a cycle of
violence with tragic repercussions.
In pursuing its story, the film explores
diverse themes of family, relationships, friendship, rivalry and revenge. At
its core, the focus is on a group of boys who represent a generation of young men for whom guns have
become a fact of life.
Ricky’s story
follows a number of conventions -
released from a Youth Offenders Institute he desperately wants to avoid
falling back into his criminal past. The
tragedy that the narrative path follows
is a familiar one – in his claustrophobic world pressure to conform proves inescapable.
The story
opens with Ricky’s release from prison.
We see his return home and his attempt to re-build relationships with
his mother, his girlfriend, his brother and his close friend Wisdom. The homecoming is spoilt by two things –
firstly, his preference for seeing his girlfriend and Wisdom taking priority
over seeing his mother who has arranged a party for him and secondly, a
road-rage incident in which the wing mirror of a car is accidentally smashed.
Wisdom, who was driving and the local gang rival [Godfrey] whose car is damaged
are not prepared to compromise over the incident. What was a minor confrontation quickly
develops into a series of tit for tat reprisals that spiral out of control.
TASK:
What do we learn of the character of Ricky? [where does this evidence come from?]
What do we learn of the character of Wisdom? [What is the evidence for this?]
What defines their relationship? [Find examples that support this].
How are we positioned to see that things will not end well? Is there anything other than our previous experience of such stories?
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