Black 47
“I sympathise with the young Irelanders,” Hannah (Hugo Weaving) An image of a human skull in a muddy puddle sets the tone for the film’s runtime. More and more movies are tackling what the cruel British Empire inflicted on the rest of the world. It is a crying shame the impact and repercussions are not taught in our schools. Maybe there would be no Brexit if it had? BLACK 47 is an Irish revenge western, containing elements of BRAVEHEART (1995), FIRST BLOOD (1982) and THE PROPOSITION (2005). The film is full of righteous fury and violence. [To read more, click here.] |
Yardie
“You can’t go on like this,” Yvonne (Shantol Jackson) I hate to write this. Really. I am a big fan of Idris Elba as an actor. YARDIE is woeful. Like Brie Larson’s directorial debut, UNICORN STORE (2017), the crushing disappointment is palpable. YARDIE is neither entertaining nor thought-provoking. Gang violence is currently regularly in British news. Often the underlying commentary is one of race, but causation is more complicated and actually to do with socio-economic background, austerity, cruel politics, and hopelessness, irrespective of skin colour. YARDIE does not illuminate. It is riddled with gangster crime flick clichés. Compare and contrast the cultural commentary in BABYLON (1980). [To read more, click here.] |