It's hard to not come away from this movie feeling angry, really angry, but not in the same brilliant way the first one did. The first thing that will probably piss you off is that even though Sam says 'it's over' dramatically to the camera as he pulls up his hood, it's left open enough for there to be another sequel with another time skip (and with that logic, you could probably make a whole series of these movies if you wanted). Not that that is really a problem on it's own, it's only when I explain the second angering thing about this movie that it makes sense as a bad thing. This film is Noel Clarke arrogance to the extreme, not only is he writing and directing the sequel calling it a 'Noel Clarke Film', Sam is now also the central character and Noel spends the whole movie trying to make us sympathise with Sam, after the first film made our blood boil with hate for him. Now you get why another sequel would be a bad thing, huh?
This film is however good. The narrative is now a lot more generic than the first, most of the characters must be in their twenties by now, if not older so it plays out more like a revenge/gangster/action flick rather than the sort of social realist miserablism drama of the first. The plus side to this however is that the violence is even harder and now it's less about bullies in the schoolyard but gangsters on the street, with the unique editing and visual style of KiDULTHOOD mixed together with more of an action movie feel it makes for a very tasty final product indeed.
The acting has improved massively since the first film but the dialogue has gotten no better, they still use the slang but I have no problem with that. It was more the way the characters delivered these cheesy dramatic monologues as if the audience was supposed to come away from this film enlightened. It just doesn't fit with a film which spends the rest of the time insulting the medias depiction of Britain today. Although it does make some pretty nice subtle nut kicks. '6 years for murder', 'two "trouble makers" letting a woman and her kid sit down on the bus' etc.
So what's the sequel about exactly? Sam does time in prison, while he does karma has it that Sam goes in a 'big boys' prison and happens to be in the same block as Trifes gangster uncle. Sam is then beaten and abused by this guy and his friends (rightly so, too) and then goes all suicidal, but then the rather under developed prison subplot is kinda left there. Sam is out now and he's alive, he doesn't want any trouble, however everyone else hates this guy (rightfully so again) so suddenly hits are placed on his head and his families head. So Sam heads off to set things right and tell everyone he was wrong and he was sorry and shit. Does Noel really think we'll care? I admit the final twenty or so minutes were painfully tense, but I was still waiting for someone to kill Sam, why would I have sympathy for that cunt?
The editing in the first movie was incredible, here it's just stupidly over the top. At many points in the movie, panels of different things happening at once, are overlapped making it look like a comic book. This is pretty damn cool, the first two times you see it, after that it gets annoying. And from that point on the dramatic camera and editing effects slapped onto every single frame don't heighten anything, they just get in the way.
I honestly have no idea why Danny Dyer was in this movie, but I actually don't mind him, so it was nice to see him playing the same damn character he always does, haha. Most of the characters from the old film make a reappearance as Sam goes on his travels for retribution, except Jaime Winstone's character who is absent for reasons I can't be bothered to find out. So she is replaced with 'Lexi', who is Sam's only sympathetic character and his main love interest. Lexi actually seems really interesting, but she, much like the prison aspects of the movie are much too underdeveloped. She has a drug problem and she was also gang raped which possibly ties into Jay, I'd like to have seen this stuff fleshed out more, maybe then you could see her for more than a podgy armed sket. Jay becomes a pure prick in this movie and doesn't really provide comic relief like in the first movie, he however provides a sort of message. Moony goes to Law School, gets a nice girl and uses his real name. Jay pushes drugs on the street, fucks random girls (and he still isn't very good) and goes around acting just like he did six years ago. I mean yes, the two paths they took are extreme over examples, but it was nice parallelism.
So should you watch it? It's a fantastic sequel, nowhere near as good as the original, but still a fantastic follow up. I'd easily say it's one of the best British films ever made, just like the original too.
Think About It!
-Locke.
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