Sket

Growing up in London I know full well the lifestyles of many depicted in this cinematic experience. But as I get older these hood films become more harder to watch. Ashley Walters proves his diversity from previous leading roles in Bullet Boy and Sugarhouse, that he can be a convincing antagonist. Not to drift off topic from the movie itself, but I feel that since the release of Kidulthood there seems to be a trend with these gritty street flicks throughout the past decade.

With that being said this flips the script with the majority of the female cast showing the unfortunate lives of young women in Britain. It's a shame that the events that take place in this storyline aren't that far-fetched from the reality we are surrounded by worldwide.

It's honest in its depiction of bullying, drug addiction and sex labour whilst providing a cleverly told plot with a soundtrack mirroring the visual anarchy. Recommend for those with a strong stomach, not that there's any gore in this picture..but it will challenge your ideals of a peaceful world.

For those who care, a 'sket' is a slang word for a young woman who sleeps around and is a bit... rough for all intents and purposes. So, now you know.

The plot revolves around a Geordie lass who's recently moved to London, and her exploits with a girl gang she joins, mainly so they can help her get revenge on the drug dealer who killed her sister. You wouldn't think this by reading the back of the box though... which references no-one but bit-part-player Ashley Walters (From So Solid Crew and Kidulthood) and makes it out to be a very different film. There's marketing, and then there's blatant lies.

What a grimy, depressing place inner city London looks. Rubbish everywhere, rundown buildings and yobs lurking behind every corner. Something tells me they didn't have to make much of an effort with the set decoration for the atmosphere they wanted. What transpires in this place where life is cheaper than a bag of crack, is nothing new or interesting. The acting is okay, the story is seen-it-all-before, and the obnoxious wall-to-wall rap songs nothing short of a headache.

I have little else to add. What the makers have done is taken segments from every 'street' drama set in our capital city ever made, washed, rinsed, hung them out to dry, then stuck them together and try to pass it off as something new. Sorry folks... it didn't work. 5/10

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Kayla (Aimee Kelly) has moved with her older sister from Newcastle to a rough area of South London after the death of their mother. After finding herself hassled on the top deck of a bus by a couple of lads, a rough girl gang at the back, lead by Hannah (Lily Loveless) come to her aid. Needing new friends and naturally wanting to belong, Hannah tries to fall in with this group after completing an initiation. However, when her sister is brutally murdered by vicious local gang lord Trey (Ashley Walters) it sets her on her own course of retribution that could have deadly consequences.

On the surface, Sket does everything it says on the tin. It sets out to tell a very unpleasant, depressing story, shot in as drained and grainy a way as it can, with nothing in the way of humour or light (save for an unintentional gut buster in which a portly henchman gives chase to Hannah only to comically run out of breath) with an obligatory pumping urban grime soundtrack blasting over it all, and this is exactly what it does. To criticise it for this would be akin to criticising the pope for being catholic. Sadly, Nirpal Bhogal's latest addition to the ever increasing 'chav' film staple from the Revolver Entertainment chain line that's been doing the rounds since Kidulthood can be complained about for more things than this.

It's got all the superficial stuff right, sadly the stuff under the surface lets the film down, with some very poorly written, unconvincing character development and a flimsy, weak story that fails to properly develop into anything and is equally poorly written. Running at under an hour and a half, it's run out of steam long before it's over. Kelly's lead character fails to convince as a shy girl who suddenly turns into a hard nut, even after her sister's killed, while Walters's constantly angry, aggressive villain is really no great stretch for him.

It's a shame, since if this had just been a bit better written, it could have really delivered all it's raw, unflinching potential. **

There are a few truly empowering films on the market. This one is just brilliant.

Just a drawn of episode of Top Boy but the emphasis is on females.

A young girl who loses her sister decides to get revenge against the bloke that killed her by joining a girl gang who are a bit on the crazy side That's about it really. The music is really annoying if your not into that types of stuff. The acting isnt always the best and the script is a bitame at times.

I suppose it will be a hit for the generation of road men and girls of the world whilst listening to their grime/drill whatever its called whilst smoking a spliff but I really was hoping for a bit more.

It's has no substance and we've seen it all before unfortunately.