"The only person more dangerous than someone with nothing to lose... is someone who stands to lose everything." - Sam.
Known to mainstream audiences as the clumsy Mickey Smith in Doctor Who, Noel Clarke very quickly established a new identity for himself in 2006's urban crime film Kidulthood, Flexing both his acting and writing muscle, Clarke's story of teenagers living in west London packed a thought-provoking punch, never shying away from depicting the dysfunctional and dangerous lives of the characters. Shrugging off the shyness of Mickey, Clarke portrays "bad-boy" Sam Peel with fierce intensity. Sam's aggressiveness ultimately ends up ending the life of the film's protagonist, and the 2008 sequel, Adulthood, explored the effects this has on Sam as well as the people he knows. After writing and directing Adulthood, Clarke returned to the series with the final chapter: Brotherhood, once again in the role of actor, writer and director. But could the series still be as thought-provoking as the first entry, and was the film a worthy conclusion to a trilogy ten years in the making?
Sam is no longer is the aggressive young man of the previous films and has settled down with his partner Kayla (Shanika Warren-Markland) and his two kids, working various jobs. But old tension's re-surface after his musician brother Royston (Daniel Anthony) is shot, with the assailant leaving a letter for Sam. Dragged back into his old life, Sam sets out to confront the people responsible, with Royston's friend Henry (Arnold Oceng) tagging along to help. But there are still old scores to settle with the returning Curtis (Cornell John), whose nephew was killed by Sam in Kidulthood. With Curtis and his brother's assailants surrounding him, Sam faces the ultimate test to keep his family safe, but realises he way have to go back to his old ways in order to do so.
The most rewarding thing in this third film is the performance of Clarke and his writing for Sam. We've seen him go from villain to anti-hero, and in Brotherhood he starts out as neither. As Clarke has grown older since the last film, so has Sam, with him now facing responsibility as a father and partner. These are by far the most interesting parts of the film as Sam is so different to how we have seen him before. But Clarke can also pull off the vengeful side to Sam as things begin to spiral out of control around him. Channelling his inner thug, Sam is a man on a mission in the film's final act, with Clarke giving a powerful performance, particularly when he squares off against Curtis. The only negative I have towards Sam in this film is his act of unfaithfulness to his partner. Early on in the film, he meets a woman asking for directions, and Sam agrees to go back to her flat afterwards. She quickly seduces Sam into having sex with her, with Sam unaware he is being filmed. This evidence his show to Kayla later, thereby stacking greater odds against Sam to win back everything he fears to completely lose. As Sam has become more likeable and mature from the start of this film, having him be unfaithful feels out of place. He had learned his lessons from similar acts in the previous films, so to have him so easily act this way didn't make much sense to me.
The other characters are hit and miss, with some being likeable and others totally unbelievable. Arnold Oceng gives the film a lighter tone as Henry, very much the comic relief. He means well, but his constant white lies to his girlfriend of course get him into trouble. He's like a sitcom character, which could easily be a turn-off for those wanting a serious tone from beginning to end. Personally, I found it to be refreshing for the series to include a character who was more fun and not be so flawed, especially compared to the troubled teens from the first film and the villains. The villains are sadly where things get silly for the film. Whilst their intentions to hurt Sam and his family are certainly scary, the performances become far too comical to take seriously, especially when they also have ridiculous names. A gang with members who have given themselves the names Mookz (Jason Maza), Yardz (played by grime rapper Stormzy) and Hugz (Leeshon Alexander) don't sound like the most intimidating bunch of baddies you'll ever hear of. Camping it up the most is Jason Maza as the film's primary antagonist, with a performance wacky enough to blend right into either of the sequels to Green Street (2005). Cornell John is still good as Curtis, but his quest for revenge against Sam feels sidetracked by the other villains and their apparent connection to some of the series' other characters. Perhaps with more focus on him, his despicable actions would've had greater impact.
The most rewarding thing in this third film is the performance of Clarke and his writing for Sam. We've seen him go from villain to anti-hero, and in Brotherhood he starts out as neither. As Clarke has grown older since the last film, so has Sam, with him now facing responsibility as a father and partner. These are by far the most interesting parts of the film as Sam is so different to how we have seen him before. But Clarke can also pull off the vengeful side to Sam as things begin to spiral out of control around him. Channelling his inner thug, Sam is a man on a mission in the film's final act, with Clarke giving a powerful performance, particularly when he squares off against Curtis. The only negative I have towards Sam in this film is his act of unfaithfulness to his partner. Early on in the film, he meets a woman asking for directions, and Sam agrees to go back to her flat afterwards. She quickly seduces Sam into having sex with her, with Sam unaware he is being filmed. This evidence his show to Kayla later, thereby stacking greater odds against Sam to win back everything he fears to completely lose. As Sam has become more likeable and mature from the start of this film, having him be unfaithful feels out of place. He had learned his lessons from similar acts in the previous films, so to have him so easily act this way didn't make much sense to me.
The other characters are hit and miss, with some being likeable and others totally unbelievable. Arnold Oceng gives the film a lighter tone as Henry, very much the comic relief. He means well, but his constant white lies to his girlfriend of course get him into trouble. He's like a sitcom character, which could easily be a turn-off for those wanting a serious tone from beginning to end. Personally, I found it to be refreshing for the series to include a character who was more fun and not be so flawed, especially compared to the troubled teens from the first film and the villains. The villains are sadly where things get silly for the film. Whilst their intentions to hurt Sam and his family are certainly scary, the performances become far too comical to take seriously, especially when they also have ridiculous names. A gang with members who have given themselves the names Mookz (Jason Maza), Yardz (played by grime rapper Stormzy) and Hugz (Leeshon Alexander) don't sound like the most intimidating bunch of baddies you'll ever hear of. Camping it up the most is Jason Maza as the film's primary antagonist, with a performance wacky enough to blend right into either of the sequels to Green Street (2005). Cornell John is still good as Curtis, but his quest for revenge against Sam feels sidetracked by the other villains and their apparent connection to some of the series' other characters. Perhaps with more focus on him, his despicable actions would've had greater impact.
Brotherhood also breaks the barriers of realism considerably more than its predecessors, with the final third involving military-esque weaponry and Henry's girlfriend still not cottoning on to his increasingly silly lies. The scenes with Sam and his gang raiding the home of the villains is certainly entertaining, but still feels a little too extreme for a film trying to portray a gritty, realistic depiction of Sam. Then there's Henry's girlfriend believing every blatant lie he tells her as he tries to aid Sam. Once or twice is okay, but to have her believe every lie is a bit far-fetched. It also doesn't help that these moments are accompanied by gangster film cliches, such as Curtis waiting ominously for Sam with his back turned away from the camera when the two first meet again. With such an honest portrayal of urban life explored in Kiduthood, Brotherhood bites off more than it can chew with moments like this. Thankfully, the cliche moments aren't enough for us to not care about the outcome for Sam, and the ending does feel like his story has come full circle. With the film clearly stating that this is the last entry in the series, the ending leaves Sam with a more positive outlook on life, which is a welcome sight after the darkness and tough situations he's put himself and others through.
Whilst it certainly is the most "out-there" film in the trilogy, Brotherhood at least keeps us interested in its central character and portrays an appropriate evolution of his personality. The cliches and silliness in some moments can be off-putting, but the film never drags and has some standout performances. Most importantly, it shows that Noel Clarke can continue to engage audiences through his triple offering of acting, writing and directing, something which very few British talents can lay claim to with his level of success. Overall, its a memorable conclusion to Clarke's passion project, and the series is one I feel will pass the test of time when looked back on.
