Goodbye Charlie Bright

Nick Love's sparky début tells the story of two lads growing up on a rough south London housing estate (possibly Thamesmead?). On the brink of a life of petty crime, their close friendship is threatened by the immaturity of one, and the other's lack of commitment to life on the edge, and the film follows the course of their inevitable divergence. The movie's strengths include a lively pace and a capacity to make you feel sympathy for its characters, in spite of their frequently antisocial behaviour. Equally, however, there's not a lot on show here that you won't have seen before, and the ending, which conjures an upbeat note where logically there should be tragedy, lacked (for me, at least) the emotional power I think it was supposed to convey. This isn't a truly great film; but neither is it a movie without promise.

This was a weird film with 4 ex-Eastenders stars. Watching it felt like I had started watching a soap opera that was already going. There's no discernible beginning, middle or end to it. You just join the characters with the no real insight into them, plenty of plots develop, but the disappear without trace and the end only really resolves some of the plot. I had the feeling that if I tuned in next week to the next episodes or maybe watched a sequel everything else will be sorted out. There was slightly an over emphasis on the drugs scene and certainly excessive swearing. But despite all that it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, had some good characters & acting. The vicar in Eastenders played the gangster villain brilliantly & convincingly in a role I'd like to see him in again and I'd certainly recommend catching this if it's on.

A low 7/10

In all honesty, people need to stop hating on this film and start seeing it for the simple bit of local London British genius it is.

This movie is on my top five favourite movies of all time list indefinitely! Not because it's epic or because it has an all-American cast - because it doesn't, it's just real. Admittedly if you're not from London or can't stand a cockney accent then this film is most definitely NOT for you. Other than that I think you'll love it and if you don't/ didn't then I'd love to know why... I defend it to the end! I seriously thought that Eastenders would be the be-all and end-all of Paul Nicholls but he so proved me wrong.. Whatever he does I will always remember him for this movie! He was absolutely brilliant (and cute too). Roland Manookian is not to be forgotten either as the annoying little side-kick that everyone loves to hate. And Jamie Foreman is the man as soon as we are introduced to his character "Tony" on screen... What a fantastic cast!!! Call it personal preference but there were so many laugh-out-loud moments for me in this film and times that I wanted to just cry... It's a roller-coaster of emotions. I recommend this to everyone!! And if you're disappointed then I apologise but I'm confident you won't be. Funny, sad, exciting all at once!!!

Worth a look. As much for being a Brit flick as anything else. Getting slightly away from the cliched Lock, Stock genre, but staying within the rough parts of London, the film looks at Charlie's realisation that his life lacks direction. Unfortunately the film never really gets to grips with the real emotion behind Charlie's development, but there is plenty to keep the younger, (dare I say, hipper), audience watching and giggling, especially if you likes drugs and swearing.

The beauty of the film is that it is not predictable. Without giving anything away, the plot often seems to be heading in an obvious direction before skewing off at a tangent. This is not to say that you will be on the edge of your seats though. The plot does have its dips, and there was a period when I wondered just how much more of the same I would be getting. Not long after, however, the audience was treated to an unexpected and well-played finale.

The acting is great at times, and not so at others, not even Dani Behr brings the cast down (too much), and individual characters such as Francis and Justin were particularly well-acted. I could not decide if the photography was poor deliberately, to fit the mood of the film, or if it just happened that way. Either way, that can be your decision!

Go and have a watch, enjoy an British film, and whatever you do, don't miss the start!

Good to see taht British Film is getting out of the 'Lock, Stock' genre, but the film is still centred around East End devlish deeds, drugs, and crime.

The story is about a group of friends, two of them being the most popular and attractive, and one being the negative. The story follows the boy's eventual rise into east end villian society and how his other friend's actions slowly begin to break downhis life, unless drastic action is taken.

The film definately hits the good charts, but it's nothing that could stand upto TRAINSPOTTING or PULP FICTION. Not one for the yanks, but would definately be worth a watch for Brits. Give it a try

***6/10***