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» Shank The Film

image Shank The Film

If you've seen the trailer online or at the movies you're likely to be highly excited about seeing Shank. And you should be. The director Mo has one hell of a portfolio as far as black music videos are concerned and for the first time he turns his attention to the big screen. Ashley 'Bashy' Thomas also makes his silver screen debut as one of a number of acting projects he has jumped into lately alongside Kidultood/Adulthood/Dead Set (I could go on) Adam Deacon and Skin's actress Kaya Scodelario. Cameo appearances from MCs Tempa T, D Double E and comedian Eddie Kadi set young Londoners up for a treat.

Set in 2015 when gangs have overrun London, the economy has gone to shit and the government have divided the rich and poor, some elements are semi-believable at best. Let's face it, that's a lot of disaster in just five years! Nevertheless, the plot follows Junior (Kedar Williams-Stirling) and his Paper Chaserz brothers in their constant battle against the surroundings and attempts to make it out of the squalor. A hilariously different but tight band of brothers, they troubled no-one until trouble came knocking at their door. Now Junior must lead the boys on a quest for revenge, forcing each of them to face their gloomy past, and make new friends in order to get any closer to finding Rager's killer Tugz.

The fast-paced action/chase scenes are well edited and the soundtrack is a brilliant piece of work, playing on the emotions of the audience throughout the film. Although the moral compass of the film is strong, I'm not convinced that Shank could be a real life scenario. Surprisingly, Ashley Thomas is one of the most convincing actors, while others tend to give a wish-washy performance, highlighted by grey areas and holes in the plot. Rather than being anything like Kidulthood, Shank's humour is similar to the E4 TV show Misfits, but without the same grand effortlessness.

Speaking of humour, the abundance of laughable moments blurs the line between the the hype and drama of 1 Day The Movie and the comedy spoofing of Dead Man Running, which ultimately takes away from the serious message of the film. Shank is certainly worth seeing but probably not worth remembering.

Check out Shankthefilm.com

Written By Lawrence Gichigi

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