Adulthood (2008)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Adulthood is the first English-language film I've ever had to watch with subtitles because I couldn't understand what the characters were saying. Almost without exception the young actors speak a strangulated version of the language through a Caribbean-affected drawl that makes every other word unintelligible. Americans – who I've seen in other film's reviews commenting on the difficulty of following, say, a cockney accent (which British people can easily understand) – won't have a hope of figuring out what they are talking about.Happily, that's pretty much the only complaint (although it's an observation rather than a complaint) as Noel Clarke has delivered a powerful sequel to his highly acclaimed Kidulthood. I hadn't seen that film when I saw this, but it isn't really necessary in order to understand what is going on. Clarke plays a young man on his first day out of prison who finds himself the target of the friend of the youth he killed six years before. His character, eyes opened by a spell in prison that has shown him how deluded he was before he went inside when he considered himself to be a big man, is played low-key, in contrast to those of all the other youths, including the small-time dealer, a friend of Clarke's victim, who puts a contract out on him.Clarke gets under the skin of these characters without forcing them to step outside of their tough shells to blurt out insightful speeches. The dealer's insecurity is evident in the exaggerated swagger, the habitual aggression that constantly threatens to boil over into violence or rage. Like an old man he is resistant to change and fearful of losing more friends – even if it's to an education and a woman who isn't fazed by his in-your-face attitude. Adam Deacon nails the part perfectly and easily gives the best performance in a film which is marked by the quality of the acting.Everyone else is looking for a way out of the gloomy inner-city jungle while ensuring, by the nature of their activities, that they will never leave. Clarke's wrapping up of the story offers no solutions or fake happy endings: 'This isn't over,' the defeated Jay cries, and his words refer as much to the character's entrapment in their dispiriting urban prison as it does to his feud with Clarke

Adulthood is yet another crime/drama film from UK which tries (and fails in my humble opinion) to capture street life. It is obviously written by a person who has no idea about London underground. Shame that person is the very person who is the main actor, director and writer - Noel Clarke. I must admit I had higher hopes for this film when I saw Noel among the list of actors. Unfortunately I must say that Noel's acting in this film is of the same "quality" as his directing and writing - POOR.Seriously, this film has no meaning, no message, nothing. It is a film made for a sole purpose to make something out of nothing. Usually such attempts result in - NOTHING. Luckily there are people who have no brains all around the world, so I guess people behind this project target that of audience.If you are a teenager fool of anger, and/or you can identify with aggressive gang or drug-dealers wannabes, or small-scale criminals, this film might be for you, if you are a person who wants SOMETHING of artistic value, you might want to try some other (crime) film. This is yet another film for which I really wish I could have given a zero, if I could...

The first Kidulthood was a hard hitting reality based story based on the non-glamorised side that Hollywood would rather forget, it was however a very well made movie which even touched several points which I could relate to growing up in London. However the sequel was not that easy to watch either. Picking up on the events of what happened six years after the events of the first movie we find that the so called hunter has now become the hunted. Our murdering little hooligan has just come out of prison after doing his time and has realised that he is now a wanted man. This time it was still not easy to watch as we see people still stuck in the same vicious web and make no attempt to escape from it what so ever and that bleakish undertone always stays with the movie through out. Noel Clarke shows us an excellent way the consequence what certain actions may lead to on your-self and others around you. At the end of the day it kind of reinforces ones belief as to what is happening to society over here in general and who do we blame ? or how do we fix it? Like its predecessors it has funny moments but might feel a little unrealistic in places but in general it makes its point loud and clear. Check it out.ADULTHOOD - 8.4 OUT OF 10AFTER KIDULTHOOD COMES...

"Adulthood" was the sequel to "Kidulthood". "Kidulthood" was certainly not a subtle movie and neither was "Adulthood"."Adulthood" was low budget, rough around the edges, harsh, brutal, and totally engrossing. Sometimes the acting of the young cast was variable, but it's best performers - writer/director/lead actor Noel Clarke, Scarlet Alice Johnson (in the role obviously originally intended to be Jamie Winstone's 'Becky' character from "Kidulthood") and Adam Deacon - managed to imbue their roles with a ring of truth."Adulthood" got by on relevance (the debate about gang culture and gun crime is constantly in British newspapers at the moment), raw power and energy. In fact "Adulthood" had enough raw power and energy to silence an unruly audience of mobile phone carrying teenage boys, wearing baseball caps and trousers that were too big for them. At least it did in the screening that I attended. Maybe they were shocked at seeing versions of themselves up on the big screen?I thought that "Adulthood" was as good as "Kidulthood", if not better.There is so much more to Noel Clarke than being known as a "Doctor Who" companion. You mark my words, he is a name to watch.