Diary of a Bad Lad

"He'll make you laugh, he'll make you think," sang Professor Fink in an episode of The Simpsons, and he could well have been talking about one of the folks behind Diary of a Bad Lad. The genius of this staggeringly-realistic faux documentary is that its black humour makes you laugh even as another part of you is thinking, "Oh my god - what these people are doing is horrific." It entertains hugely for an hour and a half, but leaves you with many unsettling thoughts on both the horrors of the crimes committed by the "Bad Lad" Tommy and the exploitative nature of the media and the ethics of journalists. These themes have never been more relevant than in these days of 24-hour news coverage when no-one thinks twice about broadcasting images of bleeding victims of terrorist attacks staggering into ambulances.

I'm generally a fan of Hollywood-style movies with happy endings, slick camera-work, fun characters and traditional "good guys", so for a film that deliberately eschews all of these things to appeal to me is no mean feat - that it did is a testament to the quality of the writing, direction and performances. The illusion of the whole thing being a real documentary is damn-near perfect, with every scene written and performed in an utterly naturalistic fashion. This film desperately deserves a release.

I saw Bad Lad at a special preview staged as part of the Kinofilm Manchester International Short Film Festival in February 2005. My expectations weren't particularly high. A DV film shot over four years in and around Blackburn by a bunch of amateurs in their spare time? Going to be absolutely riveting...right? Ninety minutes later I was gob-smacked to find that, yes, it WAS absolutely riveting. From the opening sequence, when the slimy/sinister Tommy Morghen character (brilliantly underplayed by Joe O'Byrne) introduces the story, to the final denouement when we find out why he is doing so, the audience is drawn into the film and not let go for a second. I came out of the theatre with the surprising realisation that I'd enjoyed Bad Lad more than any feature I'd seen over the past twelve months - despite the fact that the other contenders had enjoyed a budget at least a thousand times bigger (Bad Lad was shot for little over £3,000).

So, what makes Bad Lad so incredibly good? Jonathan Williams has crafted a cracking script which is witty, harrowing, thought-provoking, funny and chilling in turn. Borrowing from a number of different genres, it can't be comfortably pigeonholed into any of them. There was only one scene which didn't ring completely true to me, but this was soon forgotten when I got caught up in the action again immediately afterwards. (Even so, it was nowhere near the magnitude of the scene in Blair Witch where, now that they're lost, one of the characters decides to throw the map away. Why is it that so many other films depend upon their characters being so completely dumb in order to carry the plot?).

The standard of acting, from a cast almost totally made up of complete unknowns, is exemplary. On the couple of occasions where it seems a little stilted, these are actors playing ordinary guys who are obviously self-conscious at being filmed by a documentary crew - so the results still ring completely true. Director Michael Booth has done a fantastic job with the tools he was given. The confident and assured touch he demonstrates throughout is quite remarkable for a first-time feature director and I'm sure it will by no means be the last time I see his name on an end credits roll.

Where Bad Lad is concerned, between them Williams and Booth have pulled off that most difficult of filmic feats - creating something new. The breath of fresh air Bad Lad represents (compared to the formulaic fare we're usually treated to) completely blew me away. If this film doesn't eventually make a bigger splash than did Blair Witch there's no justice in the universe.

I've heard that, as a result of the Kinofilm Manchester preview, the producers have been able put Bad Lad through colour grading on Sumners' Da Vinci 2K for the final cut. I can't wait to see it. When it secures a theatrical release (as I'm sure it will) - Be There!

When i say this movie changed my life i wouldn't be lying one bit. if a scene can stick in your head weeks after seeing it then your doing well. if multiple scenes still make you laugh, wince, cringe or grin to yourself weeks after seeing it, then your watching something special. This film will not be to everyones taste but then again nothing ever is, but the realism of how you follow 'Barry Lick' and his crew as they try to film a gritty, underworld documentary about Blackburn Gangsters will have you engrossed right until the multiple twist ending, which will no doubt leave you feeling angry and shocked (but I'm not saying anymore).

Of all the gangster/underworld films I've ever seen i think this is the only film that now makes me not want to become a gangster or get up to no good. If your the kind of person that likes to be a bit naughty, then this film makes you feel like a naughty school child that has just been sent to the corner! The script is incredibly strong and most performances are realistic and not to melodramatic, in particular Joe O'Byrne as Tommy Morghen, Jonathan Williams as Barry Lick and Roxanne Gregory as Roxy amongst others. The locations and camera work aren't 'mega budget' but they don't have to be and shouldn't be (to an extent) as the film would lose its clout and realistic edge.

It seems a shame that such a good and honest British 'No budget' film has not yet gone mainstream, i can only hope that it soon will and audiences will be able to watch a film that could and probably will give the British film industry quite a shakeup!

I'm not one for doing reviews, in fact this is my first review ever! I watched bad lad the other day for the second time, the first was a couple of years ago before it had been graded and polished, this second viewing struck a cord and so I then watched it again the same night, the reason for this was, firstly I thought it was soooo good but secondly I wanted to see if the clever script and superb directing had any flaws in it or maybe a few holes I could pick through, did it? Not as far as I could see, the story is complex in a very easy watchable way which sucks you right in and it just becomes so easy to follow. I loved the grubbiness of the film, the image has been DE-graded in parts which really adds to the gritty realism. The performances from all involved are what really stands out though, as the film was made on DV it would be easy to just dismiss the film as a cheap amateur production if you saw just a still, but let me just say that this is not the case at all, as I said before the grubbiness really adds to the realism in a way that if it had been filmed in HD it would have been too polished and so lack something in terms of realism, back to the performances, all the cast and crew which basically are the same thing in this film where utterly believable, the acting is so natural that it really helps you to be drawn into the story and watch it as if it was a real factual piece of work. I have always liked Shane Meadows films as he always has an element of real life which with his choice in unknown actors (in general) adds a sense of accessibility to his films, one thing though about Shane Meadows films is that he does tend to let his films down a little with the poor performances he gets from some of the less experienced actors and this is were Bad Lad differs, the acting is top notch, it is so good that it does not seem as though they are acting at all. I think it is unbelievable how this film has not had a huge success at the cinema, I know something about the politics involved with ultra low budget films but if Meadows can get films like 24/7 and once upon a time in the midlands released then there must be some hope for Directors like Michael Booth who with no money at all! Manages to make something which I personally think blows anything Meadows has ever made completely out of the water. Well done to all involved with the film and may I wish you all the best of luck for the future.... hip - hip - hurray

Strong stuff indeed!!! Innovative, creepy yet also darkly funny - this is a must see movie that defies all attempts to categorise it as just a gangster film.

It is so much more, and shows a depth of quality and originality that suggests a bright future for this group of oh so talented film makers.

This excellent low budget British film underlines the depth of talent that exists in the UK and deserves to be seen by the widest possible audience.

Michael Booth is clearly a man to watch and I look forward to watching his next movie with enthusiasm.