Ill Manors Review

Ill Manor's is a hard hitting, gritty multi stranded tale that follows the lives of a range of youths and inhabitants of the unforgiving streets of urban London. The debut feature film from Ben Drew, otherwise known as singer-song writer Plan B. Developed from his widely acclaimed song of the same name inspired by the 2011 London riots, Drew uses a plethora of unknown actors such as Ed Skrein as Ed, Anouska Mond as Michelle, Keith Coggins as Kirby, Lee Allen as Chris and Natalie Press as Katya. 

The paths of these various characters are followed individually and eventually cross in an explosive finale. Stolen objects change hands between them, including drugs, money, a gun, a mobile phone containing incriminating numbers, and even a baby! Everything leads up to a wild, hard hitting, dramatic climax to what must be labelled a success as Ben Drew's first delve into cinematography. Ill Manors also capitalises on Drew's musical talents as he seamlessly embeds his powerful and emotional raps into the film as a unique narration for the viewer; effectively capturing the emotion of the rough, brutal scenes taking place on screen.

His success is not necessarily in the brilliance of the storyline or the conviction of the actors, which are both accomplished; however had I been watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster I would have been slightly disappointed. That comment is in relation to the fact that the film was produced on a budget of £100,000, which is absolutely remarkable. The editing and cinematography of the film is reminiscent of a Hollywood film with fantastic camera work and visuals that seem incompatible with such a budget, taking into consideration that Hollywood cameras cost millions alone.

Oscar winning performances are not to be expected from debutant actors. However as a whole the acting was a success with some sparkling individual performances. Riz Ahmed may not be unknown but he certainly isn't a household name. He effectively portrays the character of Aaron, adding a clear sense of morality and emotional awareness that the other spineless characters do not possess. Unknown Ed Skrein plays ruthless hard man Ed with aplomb, effectively building a favourable relationship with the viewer despite his antics that makes the ending so much more powerful. Playing such a character whilst being able to gain sympathy and a fondness from the audience deserves merit for such an inexperienced actor. Ryan de la Cruz, is also a successful debutant made by the film. The 15 year old, who is in fact too young to watch the film, is a brilliant embodiment of being succumb to his surroundings and the motto of the film, "a product of your environment". Brought up on a grim, unforgiving urban estate he is forced to join a gang to gain a sense of authority and survive in such a hostile environment for an impressionable child. An actor so young, able to illustrate such a strong message while also adding a powerful sense of sympathy from the audience has excelled his tender years.

Other performances include Lee Allen as Chris. While I feel that he effectively portrays the authoritve character of Chris, I think that he often exaggerates certain emotions in various scenes whilst also putting too much emphasis on slang in his dialogue, making it often difficult to interpret what he's saying if you're not familiar with London's urban slang, though this was his acting debut and therefore can be handed some leeway. Natalie Press however must also come under some scrutiny. Unable to rely on the excuse of being a debutant to film, Press is an experienced actor who has appeared in many productions such as; The Jury, Island and The Pit to name a few. Considering this, her portrayal of Russian sex trafficked Katya is very tame. In her defence the character speaks no English and has very little dialogue, but her body language could have brought far more dynamism and emotion to the character, instead of looking like a mere crying Russian woman for the entirety of the film.

Plan B justified his choice of unknown actors by claiming they have experienced the grim realities seen in Ill Manors and they would capture the urban feel of the film; I believe he has for the most part achieved this. However, his other aim of this complex film was to shed light on the London Riots of 2011. He has tried to give an insight into why youths of today are so negatively stereotyped and make the choices they make, the slogan "you are a product of your environment" is certainly portrayed through characters such as Jake and Michelle.

Though, while he has embedded the motto into his film I don't see Ill Manors in anyway enlightening David Cameron about the hardship of life in urban Britain any time soon. However, it effectively places the Olympic stadium in the background of scenes constantly to represent the irony of government spending on lavish architecture, yet down the road the gritty estates of the real Britain lurk, not the multi cultural, opportunistic and hospitable London the Olympics tried to elude.

In spite of this the film fails to do the impossible task of justifying the dark actions and events that take place on the estate. The character of Jake may gain some sense of sympathy, but surely viewers must ask why young boys, barely even teenagers are asking for drugs and out alone in the first place? Surely there is then the question of poor parenting, schools and a whole range of other issues are brought up without effectively portraying the characters as having no choice but to succumb to the criminality surrounding them. Despite watching the film I still feel that it is the characters choice to join a gang, to take drugs, to involve your self in criminal activity in any way.

Perhaps because I have had the privilege of growing up in an area not plagued by drug dealers and gangs I can't possibly understand the position these characters are in, but the fact that I still share this view suggests that the film has ultimately failed in its moral objective. However Ill Manor's is an enticing and gripping film that effectively shocks and hits the audience hard with its dramatic scenes and mainly convincing actors. I would certainly advise anyone fancying a hard hitting urban thriller to watch.

My rating: 8/10