Saul Dibb's first feature film is a modern day morality tale, told
with gritty realism. There's a sense of authenticity in this film
achieved by naturalistic acting, an energetic directing style, and
dialogue which seems unforced.

The storyline may be dramatically predictable, but the film gives a
rich portrait of a world where the hard, brittle, carapace of young
male machismo becomes the inevitable precursor to tragedy. The young
men at the centre of the film have a veneer of manhood which hides a
juvenile sensibility, always an explosive cocktail.

A pivotal moment for me is when the male lead, realising the effect
of his attitude and actions on his younger brother, conveys his love
for his sibling in a language that was never designed for such
dangerous openness of feeling, where what is not said becomes as
important as what is.

As a slight aside, the wonderfully shot scenes in the church remind
me of the news today
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4477156.stm) where
the family of a young black boy have the strength of their faith to
forgive the boy's murderers. I am an atheist, but I can only admire
such a bold and humanist stance. And perhaps it is when people take
such a brave stance that cycles of violence - between communities,
or as in the film, within a community - can be broken.

[IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0385568/combined ]