The director, Plan B has made it clear that he is the
creator of this movie which shows that he is proud of his directorial debut
film. He clearly used his status to promote the film in the film itself,
trailer and soundtrack.
I think that Riz
Ahmed did a superb job at
portraying the character of Aaron as he clearly expressed Aaron's feelings of
frustration and upset towards the events occurring within the film. I think
that his portrayal of this main character was an important factor contributing
to this movie as it revealed what seems to be a rare personality, within a
group of selfish, neglectful people. This allowed Aaron to stand out as he was
quite different to the other male characters. His facial expressions really
provided a realistic reaction to the events in the movie. Ed Skrein was another great actor in
this film as he showed dominance in his character, Ed, when he ordered Michelle
and Aaron about. I feel that this shows an accurate portrayal of 'ringleaders'
as it shows authority is a common characteristic within gangs. This is also
shown at the beginning of the film, by Nick
Sagar, who plays Marcel, when he instructs the vulnerable character,
Jake, to beat up his friend. In my opinion, both actors played their
controlling characters very well.
The plot consists of a frame narrative as
it uses a variety of different people’s backstories which are gradually
revealed throughout the movie before entwining into one another. In my opinion,
this technique was used well in order to combine each individual's stories into
the bigger picture.
One of the
interesting stories was the one belonging to Ed and Aaron who both grew up in
care homes. This is interesting as it shows that although care homes are
supposed to be helpful to children, it actually was the beginning of the cause
of their destruction.
The narrative challenges the common stereotypes
perceived by foreigners which associate more with the 'rich, posh and lavish'
British lifestyle, which only accounts for a small proportion of the UK. I
think that this film depicts a more realistic, alternative representation of
British youth, particularly.
It also
challenges the idea that all people who do drugs or are associated with gangs
are heartless and vicious. This is clearly challenged through the use of
characters Aaron and Michelle, who, despite having their own problems, each
show compassion for people. Aaron shows this towards both Michelle and Katya
when he helps Michelle get away when she is being abused by Terry and also
tries to find Katya when she left her baby on the train. Michelle also shows
sympathy for Katya when she is in a similar situation (being abused).
This also
portrays women in an inferior manner since they are seemingly 'used and abused'
by the men in the story. It also presents men as being dominating and
controlling rather than
One thing
I found was missing was showing more of the positivity within this background
as mainly the negative aspects of the characters' lives were shown (other than some
of the childhood flashbacks). I feel that there is more than just violence and
hatred within these characters. It could have delved a little more into the
character's stories from the past; including happier moments prior to the
situation they are currently in.
In terms
of characters, there were
a variety of different people who, although had different upbringings
ultimately ended up in similar situations.
I
personally like the variety of ethnicities represented within the film since it
challenges the 'black gangster' stereotype that seems to be currently accepted
by society as being the norm. When in reality anyone, regardless of their
ethnicity, can become involved with gang culture as it depends on your
environment, not your genetics. Therefore, I salute Plan B for casting black, Asian
and white people in this film as it epitomises the reality of different people
in the situation presented in Ill Manors.
The genre of the film seems to be an Urban
Crime Drama as it is mostly consisting of criminal activities including
violence, drug use and abuse, weaponry and murder. Not only that but the
setting of a council estate would stereotypically be associated with the youth.
The soundtrack for the movie, of the same name (Ill
Manors), I feel, is an important addition to the movie. This is not only due to
the fact that it was produced by the director of the movie, but also because
the content of the lyrics fit well with the events of the movie. I think that
the song supported and accompanied the movie well as it provides an additional,
non-diegetic narrative to go alongside the happenings of the film.
The audience of the film is
likely to be previously established fans (mainly ranging from ages 13-25) of Plan B who are
interested in finding out the subject matter represented in film, from his
perspective. It could also be people who have also grown up in and around a
similar environment as the movie is set in. Although, the movie is rated an 18,
it was most likely also targeted at younger teenagers as well, since a large
following of Plan B would also be from high school students.
A less
expected audience would be people who are not exposed to or do not indulge in
the lifestyle presented in the film. This could be a more middle class audience
who aren't aware of how the situations displayed in the film come about. It was
most likely targeted towards these people so that they can be more objective on
the topic, rather than labelling and looking down on the working class people
of today who may find themselves encountering similar situations to that shown
in the film.
I think
that personal identification is the main gratification that can be applied to this film since
the film presents social realism, which can be related to well by people
belonging to a similar background of that presented in the film.
In
conclusion, I'd say that although it seems that Plan B tried to challenge
stereotypes, he seemed to rather confirm a lot of them and justify them as
opposed to showing a completely alternative representation of the youth which
makes the narrative slightly confusing. However, I do feel that some of the
characters were useful in showing a somewhat alternative understanding of their
situation. I think that for his directorial debut, Plan B did a pretty good job
while he worked on this film.
