Ill Manors, 2012, United Kingdom, Dir. Plan B
Oi! I said oi! Pop Screen has its hardest-hitting episode this week – yes, perhaps even grittier than Spice World – with Ben “Plan B” Drew’s directorial debut Ill Manors. A multi-stranded tale of drug-dealing, deprivation and all-round dodginess in Forest Gate, it has its roots in Drew’s 2008 short film Michelle. On release, however, it became an unexpected talking point thanks to the then-recent English riots – enough of a hot-button release for the Observer to get Lethal Bizzle and Edwina Currie to share their thoughts on it, anyway.
Since then, the film has somewhat faded from view, which is why it’s our pleasure to be joined by Cliff from the Devil Times Five horror podcast to make the case for it as a great movie. Along the way, we consider the film’s well-chosen cast, from rising stars like Riz Ahmed and Ed Skrein through non-professionals and even a cameo from John Cooper Clarke. Graham and Cliff also chat about their divergent thoughts on British kitchen sink cinema, the age at which it becomes impossible to tell what age someone is, and Cliff’s very particular favourites list.
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