Brotherhood

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source: Brotherhood

Didn't feel like this film was needed, still enjoyable but could take it or leave.

This film doesn't know what it wants to be, inbetween juggling a gritty drama with comedic undertones it all gets lost somewhere and the film comes across as a jumbled mess. Part of the problem comes across by the desperation to give Sam a happy ending which he doesn't deserve, for some reason Sam and Alisha are best of friends now with Sam paying regular visits to her and her daughter to check in and pay her money to help out with the household, with both Alisha and her daughter being very happy to see Sam, whenever he pops around for his weekly chat. What happened to the girl who despised the site of Sam, the girl who was strong enough to face the man who murdered her daughter's father, simply to show him that she was the better person, I found it that unbelievable I didn't even realise it was Alisha untill I read it in another review. Next comes Sam's relationship, it turns out the girl from adulthood died and for some reason he ends up with the girl Mooney was seeing in adulthood despite them never even meeting in adulthood let which makes it even more unbelievable. What makes this relationship even more comical is the fact that Sam cheats on her with the first girl who shows any interest which strikes me as completely out of character for his character ark he went through in adulthood. Next come the antagonists and the plot, instead of following what would have been the logical plot of Sam's brother going of the rails and being brought down to rock bottom as adulthood hinted would happen, we simply have the repeated story of Trevor trying to hunt down Sam for revenge over Trifes murder, I never once saw any hint of love in kidadulthood remember Trevor is the man who thought it would be funny to hold a gun to his nephews head, which for me just makes the two movie vendetta come across as very forced and It all just comes across as very thrown together, the villans are rediculous and instead of the realistic London gangsters from the first two films you have a man called hugs who likes to kill people by stabbing them when he hugs them yes seriously. Then finally is my biggest annoyance with the film where Sam is allowed to run away from the police at the scene of a shooting, purely because one of the police officers knew Sam growing up. That for me underlined how much this film is desperate to give the Sam the happy ending he didn't deserve, adulthood ended his story far far better yes it was bleak and left two damaged people trying to make the best from their ruined lives, but it felt appropriate and realistic for the situation that Sam landed in not the walk off into the sunshine he got in this. a wasted opportunity at best.

Sam, settled down with girlfriend and kids, thought he had left his youthful like of crime and violence behind him. But when his brother is shot just to get his attention, suddenly unwelcome old faces resurface. Noel Clarke, as writer, director and star, brings us the third (and final) film in his -hood series and, like the others, it is inherently violent, so you need to be prepared for the fairly uncompromising view it takes of the world in which it is set. It also shows the other side - as these young men get older, they look to settle down into conventional domesticity if they can, but that is at odds with those who wish to drag them back into the area they are trying to escape from. This conflict is at the heart here. The story is straightforward but strong. Clarke's writing and direction are good, and he gets worthwhile performances from his largely unknown cast. There are places where he plays out drama, humour, and moments of touching emotion all at the same time. This is a long way from Mickey Smith in Doctor Who! There is a moderate amount of nudity in this, and there are those who object to female nudity on the grounds that it is unnecessary. I find this point of view incomprehensible but, just in case you hold this view, please be warned. I thought this was pretty good, albeit you may need subtitles if you are not part of black London subculture, innit.

BrOTHERHOOD demonstrates its strong themes in a thought-provoking, poignant and satisfying conclusion to the grime gang street drama. Usually, a third film would either be terrible, showing the lack of character development or a weak plot. But this film has thankfully avoided all of it. Giving us more of the lifestyles and the insides of inner-west London and the choices young youths make. This review won't be long but all I can say is that BrOTHERHOOD has improved dramatically over its predecessors, providing us a much darker and complex tone filled with shocking moments. The only thing that I found uncomfortable or unnecessary is the nudity and the sex scenes. It must be really, really lucky that the BBFC gave this film a 15 certificate because most films similar to this would receive a 18 certificate. The nudity scenes were really unnecessary or unneeded, it only just gave us less comfort or giving a awkward moment to the audience. Overall, I think BrOTHERHOOD has given the UK a much cynical, well- written film packed with emotional scenes and a strong performance by Noel Clarke, not to mention the pure cinematography!

Noel Clarke wrote, directed and starred in his own film as Sam Peel. Sam was part of a gang 10 years ago and we get a brief glimpse of what happened. Now the past has caught up with him as it seeks to kill and destroy everything he loves. With the aide of friends and oddly law enforcement, Sam fights back. This urban film takes place in London which means I was able to understand more of the words as compared to the American urban films. You feel me? The film has a me-too revenge plot. There wasn't a great character build-up, but adequate for a crime drama. Noel Clarke likes to keep his face on the screen...not George Clooney bad, but noticeable. Worth a view if you like urban or crime films or Noel Clarke's face. Guide: f-word, sex, FF nudity (Tonia Sotiropoulou + extras)

A disappointing conclusion to Noel Clarke's fine trilogy which started with KIDULTHOOD so long ago. The first two films were very good indeed, gritty, on-the-street thrillers, whereas this one's all over the place. It has a light-hearted feel to it and some performances which feel more at home in one of those indie gangster flicks than a real movie. Once again the vendetta between Sam and Curtis propels the plotline, but there are too many extraneous characters, many of whom have no real reason to exist (such as the Stormzy character). The dialogue veers towards the crude one too many times and generally you feel that there's not much intelligence on offer here. Clarke does try hard and things do pick up for an impressive climax, but until this point you can't help but feel that they're just treading water and going through the motions.

I am a big fan of Noel Clarke, he is a one man dynamo often writing, starring and directing his own movies. He refuses to bow down to his detractors. Unfortunately something went awry in the final part of his trilogy, Brotherhood. Instead of being a gritty urban streetwise thriller like his previous two films, it feels more like a joke. Sam Peel (Noel Clarke) has done time for killing. He his now living a quiet life with a mundane job with his girlfriend Kayla (Shanika Warren-Markland) and two children. Things take a sinister turn as Sam is dragged back to a life he thought he left behind. His younger brother Royston (Daniel Anthony) is shot while performing in a show. Sam himself has been given a come on by a pretty East European lady. Pretty soon Sam and his family are being threatened by flash crook Daley (Jason Maza) and his crew but Sam has never done anything to upset him. It turns out that an old enemy is pulling the strings, Uncle Curtis (Cornell John) whose nephew Sam killed and who wants to destroy Sam's life. The story just did not walk, it really was a badly written film. If Uncle Curtis wanted Sam dead, he should had just killed him, not drag Sam's brother and mother into a stupid cat and mouse game. Still Clarke pulls a nice trick of attracting his fans from Doctor Who. Included in the cast are actors that have appeared in Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Class.