I thought this was a great film. It is structured in a way that although each story is separate, they intersect i ways that mean you see some of the same scenes from a different perspective, and also gain more information about what is going on. The characters are reasonably well rounded, with some of their background being told by rap songs, which fits well with the urban mood of the film. The story poses some interesting moral dilemmas, in which the solutions are rarely "good" but at least in some instances appear to be motivated by doing the right thing, even if they don't always achieve that. The setting is grim, unpleasant and in many ways, lacking any hope, but there are glimpses of humanity within it. I found this film gripping, and intend to watch it again soon.

Ill Manors is a realistic drama with intermittent blasting rap music in between the various drug dealing, pimping, hooking and other bad behavior over the course of two hours. It starts off with apparently disconnected segments with hustlers of every sort involved in illegal activities. The high point is when a prostitute leaves her newborn baby on a train, where the lead pusher, Aaron(Riz Ahmed) ends up showing some real empathy for a change when he takes the little tyke home and searches for the mother, while his cohorts see the situation as an opportunity to make some quick easy money. The final fifteen minutes make the wild ride well worth it in the end. Ahmed is a star in the making, and the entire cast is absolutely perfect. Life is complicated, and Ill Manors portrays it with an unforgiving eye.

From the mind of the bloke otherwise known as Plan B comes this sprawling saga about the seediest bunch of misanthropes you would never wish to know, and a London you won't find on the tourist map full of druggies, human trafficking and kebab shops. It's not a pretty sight, and Mr Drew deserves credit for not shying away from the tiniest detail in his quest to seek out the sick underbelly of our Capital City. He is also responsible for turning it into somewhat of a gangsta-type musical, with rap songs by him along the way which are efficient at advancing the plot, but I don't think would be worth a relisten on the soundtrack CD.The formula of following a few characters at once until their fates collide has been done since time immemorial, or at least Quentin Tarantino. Here, we get the standard flashbacks that introduce us to the main people, and after that the cocktail of sex, bad language and babynapping(!) begins. It's by no means perfect, with a bit of overacting going on and in parts being either OTT or simply a bit dull. But it's made in an admirable rambunctious style, and you get an inkling that Plan B really does care about the social conscience of Great Britain (Not so great these days, though)

I had heard Plan B's album, subsequently released with the film, and really found him to be a British Kanye West; egocentric and thinking he's heard and seen it all. The film is something else, however.Studying film and being a movie buff, I loved dissecting this film, featuring some clever camera techniques, and beautiful blend of music with narrative. Plan B is the main narrator (although not involved in critical development of the film in terms of direction or writing). The story is incredible, not spoiling the ending, there's is plenty of chaos, suffering and desperation. While those I watched it with found the story confronting, I craved the human story within. I felt for all the characters, their motivations and their situation. It's a powerful slap in the face of real life Britain, and the crime world that has developed around the bored teens and the abused victims of the city.If you're a fan of gritty dramas, this is one that takes the cake. Despite the lower user rating that I can't understand from a refreshing, honest (and non-Hollywood) story of life on the streets, this one's worth a watch. Bad language and all. 8/10.