Shifty (2009)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Too much of everything

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A dull and lifeless addition to the British gangster cycle. Shifty and his buddy Chris are a couple of dead-eyed deadbeats who deal drugs and spend their days either fighting with friends and family or trying to stay out of trouble. The film that follows is as depressingly grim and predictable as it is uninteresting.One of the recurrent problems with movies like this is that the writer and director is the same person, in this case Eran Creevy. I personally believe that scriptwriting and direction are two very different beasts that require very different skills and talents. Middling efforts in both respects result in middling films. Creevy should choose one role or the other, not attempt both. Invariably these "labour of love" productions smack of self-importance and self-indulgence, as is the case here.It's not all bad, and there are certain things in the film's favour; the camera-work is pretty decent by genre standards, with none of that blighting shaky-cam rubbish, and the pacing is pretty good; SHIFTY keeps you watching, even if it doesn't involve you. But the characterisation is so circumstantial and clichéd that it's impossible to immerse yourself in the world of the characters.Riz Ahmed and Daniel Mays have both contributed some impressive acting in other, better films, but they're lifeless and on autopilot here. I'm not quite sure why Jason Flemyng and Francesca Annis have been cast in supporting roles that could have been played by anyone, unless it's for name value alone. It's not enough. SHIFTY is an instantly forgettable move in a quagmire of similar efforts.

It is hard to believe they made this film for £100k. I wasn't expecting it to be great, but it was far better than I expected. I liked the two main characters Shifty and Chris and the whole ensemble were very good.Riz Ahmed and Daniel Mays are both very good actors, I had seen a fine performance by Daniel Mays in Mike Leigh's 'All or Nothing' but it was the first time I had seen Riz. Although they aren't really well known outside TV and smaller budget stuff, both these actors are going to be big names in the future. I have great regard for all the actors who appear in Mike Leigh films and Daniel Mays will be up there with Tim Spall, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Rea, Phil Davis to name a few. It is a fairly simple story of a drug dealer who runs into big trouble, it is a good portrait of the seedy world of drugs and the horrors they bring. Although very different, I would recommend this film to anyone who liked 'Sexy Beast' 'Dead Man's Shoes'.They did a brilliant job with £100k.

Yes, a good film, and for one made for a £100 grand a hell of an achievement. The performances were good to excellent (the Trevor character in particular was particularly convincing). I like the fact the film makers had not resorted to simplistic visuals to get the message across. For example the estate where they lived looked pretty nice and yet even with the sunshine you still felt this story was right there.My only reservations are I didn't consider the banter was as convincing as everybody seems to think it was. But mainly it was the subject matter. Guns, gangsters, drugs, family conflict here we go again. Apparently, the original script focused on the dealer and his customers and that would have suited me more. But if you get the chance to see it - well worth a look.

I've noticed this growing trend with a lot of British gangster and drama films that claim to be 'gritty and realistic' but are no where near it.Shifty suffers from the same flaws. I'm sorry, but even the lower class of British society doesn't say 'yeh bruv' or 'mug' etc every other sentence, its so stereotypical and bloody over done.It seems also, that Daniel Mays is a one dimensional 'actor', but really, he can't act to save his life. He has one of the most irritating faces to look at and permanently looks retarded. To me, he sounds EXACTLY like Danny Dyer, another bloke who thinks he can act. How he got a part in anything to do with Mike Leigh is beyond me.Riz Ahmed however seems like a very capable actor but was given a completely $hit script to work with.The whole film is just so uninteresting. I thought there would be some action and meaning to the story, but at end its like the viewer is supposed to clap their hands at Shifty's clever little stints he did to get out of his spot of bother.Also, if he made 3 grand a week being a drug dealer, would he really be living in that $hitty flat/house with his older, old fashioned brother? I doubt it.Another disappointing, clichéd British film.