videorama-759-859391 Noel Clarke has excelled himself again, with this intensely driven follow up to Kidulthood. Six years have gone by and a lot has changed. Our characters, more grown up and wiser. But for Jay, a score needs to be settled, where Sam has just got out of prison, and as by example in a couple of flashbacks, we see it was no picnic. Our free Sam, soon senses his cards are marked, days numbered, where he must find Jay before Jay finds him, where we do know Sam would kick his ass, as it's just not Jay whose after him. Much to my delight was an early scene with Danny Dyer who sets Sam straight over an old flame. Adulthood is just as entertaining as Kidulthood, where Clarke doesn't drop his guard, not letting us forget the pull no punches intensity of Kidulthood. Talented Clarke, knows what he wants and goes for it, making him one of the most impressive young directors I've seen. There are some intense and frightening moments, if some humorous ones too, like when a girl sets Jay straight in table manners. There's also a twist you could say near the end, where one warring party, comes face to face with someone, too close to kill. All the characters here have shown change, Sam in one eighty degree, Jay for the worst. That's what I really liked about the film, and in spite of all the bad shite Sam has done, you really want him to come out in one piece, the hero. Definitely for fans of Kidulthood.

dominicpearson I recall watching Kidulthood and coming away from it with no real like/dislike for it. It was an enjoyable film which attempted to hold a mirror up to youth culture in London. Some criticised it for being over sensationalised and not a true reflection but I have no first hand experience so couldn't comment.It was, therefore, not high on my list of priorities to watch Adulthood. The thought of spending more time with the characters did not fill me with any feelings of joy. However I was very happily surprised at what a well crafted, produced and presented film this is.The story picks up 6 years after Kidulthood. Sam has been released from prison and is almost instantly attacked. A threat is made against him and his family and he has to take action to find the source and put a stop to it.The first point to note is that there is no need for you to have seen Kidulthood. Clearly you will enjoy the film on a different level if you have seen it as what develops are a number of scenes which focus on the impact Sams attitude and actions in the first film have had on the people around him.The story develops at a perfect pace. We get to see more depth to the characters and understand the pain that they have suffered and continue to suffer. Sams brother, for example, is on the same track as his brother was and this is down to the "legacy" of being related. Jay has turned into a petty thief and drug dealer and seems destined to crash and burn. We see how it has affected Sams mother, his ex and all (well, nearly all) of the central characters from the first film. The ripples of this one incident are clearly being felt this long after the event, ripples that will continue indefinitely.At the heart of the film are two outstanding performances. The first, from Noel Clark (who also wrote and directed) is slow burning, poignant and extremely powerful. His experiences and the impact of the killing develop in the form of flashbacks, very little is actually said but we learn enough to know that if ever anyone regretted their actions it is Sam. The final scenes with Jay are heart wrenching, as is the one where Lexi is trying to comfort him in her flat.Noel Clark plays the part brilliantly. He fully deserves all of the plaudits and recognition he received. Here is a character who I really did not care for in the first film. After watching Adulthood, however, I feel for him. I don't like him - you don't forget what his character did or that he is not a good person but you do empathise with him and the situation he finds himself in. It had to be a performance that balanced the regretfulness and showed the distance he had come but with the knowledge of his previous life and that strong elements of this remained. It could have been all brooding and moody or all anger and fury but the skillful performance found a perfect middle ground.Second is Scarlett Johnsons performance. Her role is central to the plot and she is given time to really develop the character. The scene where she is leaving the message on Sams phone is heartbreaking. Knowing that she and Sam have similar issues and experiences gives us hope that there may be a happy ending for both of them. She is a damaged person trying to come to terms with the rape. She is struggling but sees in Sam redemption, someone who understands her sufferings and someone who can (possibly) help her.Again, the focus could have been purely on the damage caused but the performance given shows the humanistic elements of the character. The hardness which slowly breaks down when she finds someone she can be vulnerable with. Like I said before, it is heartbreaking.The supporting cast are, also, perfect. The final scene between Sam and Jay is brilliantly shot (apart from the Matrix moment halfway through!) and brilliantly acted. Again, you can see the very real pain Jay is suffering; pain that cuts to his very core.All this is not to say the film isn't without flaw. I found the whole set up of the dealers extremely convoluted and unlikely. I also found myself getting agitated at the slang being used. I accept that this is the language used but some of the characters slipped in and out of it too easily.Small concerns, however, in a film that shows that you can have a simple but strong story, some superb young actors and still have a great film without the need for big bucks or Hollywood. Congratulations Mickey The Idiot, the Doctor would be proud! 8.5/10

bob the moo I wasn't all that taken by Kidulthood when I watched it a few years back but it was solid enough and professionally made so I thought I'd follow it with the sequel. Set six years after the original film, we join the majority of the original cast on the day that Sam comes out of prison after doing his time for the killing of Trife. Some of those involved have moved on, some are still in the same situation they were then while others have nothing but that night on their minds and are seeking revenge on Sam for what he did – either by their own hands or by any one of countless up and coming boys looking to have a name made for them.In picking this plot in particular the film sets out its stall very much to be about these events rather than the characters – again this is the same as the first film, which didn't do a great job in creating people so much as it did in creating a reasonably good narrative flow. For many this will be enough and the film does have enough of a "world" to it that it is easy to watch it. The problem comes when you want to be convinced by it, because the story isn't really strong enough (or logical enough) to really engage. It is not that it doesn't have stuff going in in sufficient quantities (it does) it is just that they offer nothing beyond this. Don't get me wrong, I found it easy to watch and get into but it felt like little had been done on the actual characters themselves. Physically it has been worked out where they are and attitude-wise they all have a broad sketch to them but this doesn't get translated well into words in the actors' mouths and as a result the film does feel superficial. The additional downside to this is that, although the film doesn't glamorise these lives, by not being more honest and complex it does feel like there is a certain amount of validation within it.Clarke has done pretty well as writer/director/star though and he has produced a solid film where others may have only made a mess. OK it is not perfect but it is a good stab. His Sam sums up the strengths and weakness – he is supposed to be tired of violence but yet doesn't show that in his actions while any hurt in him is shown in simple ways. He holds the attention well but not below the surface. The supporting cast do pretty well but all have the same "lack of complexity" issue to deal with in their performances. Johnson, Deacon, Drew and others are all pretty good while Madrell returns for a few scenes and continues to be cute.Overall Adulthood is a good companion piece to Kidulthood because they both carry the same strengths and weaknesses. The setting and events engage on the surface and have a good pace to them but the lack of anything decent below this is a problem that affects how much one gets into it but also how well the cast can do with their thinly developed characters. Worth seeing even if it could have been better.

shadowman123 The first Kidulthood was a hard hitting reality based story based on the non-glamorised side that Hollywood would rather forget, it was however a very well made movie which even touched several points which I could relate to growing up in London. However the sequel was not that easy to watch either. Picking up on the events of what happened six years after the events of the first movie we find that the so called hunter has now become the hunted. Our murdering little hooligan has just come out of prison after doing his time and has realised that he is now a wanted man. This time it was still not easy to watch as we see people still stuck in the same vicious web and make no attempt to escape from it what so ever and that bleakish undertone always stays with the movie through out. Noel Clarke shows us an excellent way the consequence what certain actions may lead to on your-self and others around you. At the end of the day it kind of reinforces ones belief as to what is happening to society over here in general and who do we blame ? or how do we fix it? Like its predecessors it has funny moments but might feel a little unrealistic in places but in general it makes its point loud and clear. Check it out.ADULTHOOD - 8.4 OUT OF 10AFTER KIDULTHOOD COMES...