Adulthood (15)

5:49pm Thursday 19th June 2008

NOEL Clarke, best known to TV audiences through his appearances in Doctor Who and Auf Wiedersehen Pet, shows himself a filmmaker of promise in his sequel to Kidulthood of 2006.

As writer, director and star, he has a lot on his plate, but acquits himself well on all three counts.

Whether you want to see another overheated tale of street kids - well, adults now as the title suggests - at loggerheads is another matter. You might just feel you've seen it all before.

The themes - drugs, guns and knife crime - couldn't be more topical and Clarke doesn't shy away from the nastier side of life. His character, Sam Peel, is fresh out of jail after serving time for a killing.

He wants a fresh start, realising that violence and crime isn't the answer to anything. Those he upset before he went inside hold a different opinion. They want revenge as the repercussions of the night of the killing continue to affect these disaffected 21st century teenagers.

Sam wants to end the cycle of violence to which he's contributed in the past, but others are more intent on adding to the killing. By the end as two people face each other with bat and gun like gunslingers in the old west, you have to wonder if a solution is any nearer.

Clarke's language and style are uncompromisingly in your face, causing oldies to grow irritated by all the street talk and casual abuse. Stick with it and you just understand the situation a little bit better.

Stars: Noel Clarke, Scarlett Alice Johnson, Adam Deacon, Danny Dyer, Ben Plan B' Drew, Femi Oyeniran, Red Madrell, Cornell S John Running time: 99 mins
Rating: Three stars

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