A very good movie

Many movie fans are aware of Gary Oldman's talent as actor but only a few of them know that he has actually also directed a movie and a very good one on top of that. If I'm not mistaken, I even saw it when it was released and, back then, I was really impressed. Apparently, it was a very personal project for Oldman as the film was loosely based upon his own life growing up in London and he even spent $1.4 million of his own money into the film. Unfortunately, after so many years, Oldman hasn't directed anything else and it is a real shame since this directing debut was really good but, apparently, at last, almost 20 years later, he will finally come up with a new directing effort and I will definitely check it out. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, it is one of those bleak and grim British dramas dealing with drugs, violence and dysfunctional people. The actors were pretty good, especially the always dependable Ray Winstone who would also eventually show up in Tim Roth's directing debut, two years later. To conclude, it might not be really original but I think it is a very bleak and fascinating drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

8/10