Britgeek here.
As the horrendous London riots were unfolding in the summer of 2011, I remember thinking to myself, 'I bet someone's writing a script about this chaos right now.' I may have been a little incorrect on the time frame, but, sure enough, the unforgettable events fed film-making inspiration to writer/director Simon Phillips, and thus GBH was born, a new British thriller that centres on a police officer (Nick Nevern) caught between upholding the law and escaping his shady past in a most turbulent time.
Beat cop Damien has a vision of an ideal society and knows all too well that the road to making a positive difference is long and treacherous, but each time he feels like he's making progress, a conflict of interest clouds his judgement and sets him back, erasing his accomplishments. Having grown up as a product of lad culture, as somewhat of a hooligan, he has forged friendships with unsavoury characters. Damien finds himself shackled by his past and present and his bonds are tested as he tries to balance doing right by what he believes in and the people in his life; a constant struggle as the two begin to blur.
Phillips, who starred alongside Nevern in the highly successful THE RISE AND FALL OF A WHITE COLLAR HOOLIGAN earlier this year, trades an on-screen performance for off-camera duties and handles them all with vigour. He directs with confidence and flair, and has delivered a well-shot and good-looking effort. Having also produced the film, Phillips is unquestionably a jack of all trades.
The majority of the film tells of the events that led to the actual riots. The tension mounts throughout as the inevitable rebellion and uprising draw closer and closer. Rather than being a film set within the fiery confines of the riots, GBH is more of the “untold story”, which not only means the brutality of the third act packs much more of a punch, but it keeps things both fresh and unpredictable. You know what's coming, you just don't know when or how.
When society does finally crumble beneath the weight of civil unrest, GBH is raw and honest in its depiction of the destruction that rages through London. Peace is shattered by the unmistakable sound of gunshots. Explosions rip through the city streets. One woman is raped in a horrific prolonged scene that is genuinely disturbing without ever feeling out of context or – beyond the fiction of the film – distractingly misogynistic. When all hell breaks loose, nothing is gratuitous, only realistic, and effectively so.
Nevern and his character's love interest Louise, former EASTENDERS actress Kellie Shirley, are the shining stars of the piece, providing convincing and gripping performances. They are certainly talent to keep an eye on. The legendary Steven Berkoff also crops up in a small role as Damien's Chief Constable, and unsurprisingly delivers the goods despite his limited screen time.
One would imagine that reactions to the picture itself would depend entirely on what side of the fence you were sat during the real-life riots, but what is clear is that GBH is a taut and unmistakably timely film, and one that believably captures the mood of our society and present day culture along the lit fuse to the true events of last year.
CHATA Pictures' GBH is released in UK cinemas from Revolver Entertainment on September 28, before arriving on DVD on October 1.
TTFN.
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