Bullet Boy

2004 British film by Saul Dibb

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Bullet Boy

Directed by| Saul Dibb
Written by| Saul Dibb
Catherine Johnson
Produced by| Marc Boothe
Ruth Caleb
Michael Tait
Paul Hamann
Starring| Ashley Walters
Luke Fraser
Cinematography| Marcel Zyskind
Edited by| John Mister
Masahiro Hirakubo
Music by| Neil Davidge
Robert del Naja
Massive Attack

Production
companies

Verve Pictures
BBC Films
UK Film Council
Portman Films
Shine Limited

Distributed by| Verve Pictures

Release dates

* 15 September 2004 (2004-09-15) (Toronto International Film Festival)
* 8 April 2005 (2005-04-08)

Running time

| 89 minutes
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English

Bullet Boy is a 2004 British crime drama film directed by Saul Dibb, written by Saul Dibb and Catherine Johnson, and starring Ashley Walters.[1] The film's original music was composed and performed by Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, who released it as an album. The film is about a family in crime-ridden Hackney, East London, the eldest son's involvement in gun crime, and the effects of this on his younger brother.

## Plot

[edit]

Upon being released from prison, Ricky (Ashley Walters) is collected by Wisdom, an eccentric and naive friend who is desperate to establish himself within their neighbourhood. Immediately after arriving back, Wisdom accidentally breaks a wing mirror off a car belonging to a local gang member. The following confrontation leads to Ricky pulling away Wisdom in an attempt to keep peace. Wisdom later returns a gun to Ricky, who stores it within his bedroom, which is shared with his younger brother Curtis who finds the weapon and hides it away for his brother himself.

Wisdom hunts down the gang member, named Godfrey, for spreading word that he does not want to fight, and to get revenge shoots the Staffordshire bull terrier which Godfrey used to threaten Wisdom during the earlier altercation. As a result, Godfrey and his associate destroy Wisdom's car with a baseball bat and drive past his home shouting that he is "dead." Knowing that Godfrey would soon kill him otherwise, Wisdom tries to kill Godfrey. However, he fails and is seen by Godfrey.

As the two flee from here, Curtis accidentally shoots his friend Rio when Rio suggests they take the gun out and play with it. Their mother when she next sees Ricky, asks him to go home, pack his belongings and leave whilst they are at church to give Curtis a chance to avoid the gang lifestyle.

Just before heading home, he goes to Wisdom's house to get the money Wisdom told him to take before he left, only to find Wisdom dead, presumably at the hands of his rival, he leaves after sitting there for a long time thinking. As he packs his bags, he asks Curtis to go to the takeaway and get a kebab, and when Curtis returns, his brother has already left. As Ricky is waiting at the train station, mysterious hooded figures are appearing and closing in around Ricky.

As Ricky is about to run away, Godfrey comes out and shoots him six times in the chest. His body is later identified, and the film ends with Curtis reclaiming the gun from where he hid it and throwing it into the river.

## Cast

[edit]

* Ashley Walters as Ricky
* Luke Fraser as Curtis
* Leon Black as Wisdom
* Clare Perkins as Beverley
* Aaron Breakbeat Fagan as Drummer
* Curtis Walker as Leon

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result

|
|
|
|

2004  | British Independent Film Awards | Most Promising Newcomer  | Ashley Walters | Won
Douglas Hickox Award  | Saul Dibb  | Nominated
Dinard British Film Festival  | Golden Hitchcock | Won
2005  | Emden International Film Festival  | Award of the German Unions Association  | Won
2006  | Evening Standard British Film Awards | Most Promising Newcomer  | Won
London Critics Circle Film Awards | ALFS Award | Nominated

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Brooke, Michael. "Bullet Boy (2004)". Screenonline. Retrieved 25 February 2024.

## See also

[edit]

* Murder Mile
* Life and Lyrics
* Kidulthood
* Adulthood
* West 10 LDN
* Top Boy
* Sugarhouse
* List of hood films

## External links

[edit]

* Bullet Boy at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Works directed by Saul Dibb

Films|

* Bullet Boy (2004)
* The Duchess (2008)
* Suite Française (2015)
* Journey's End (2017)

Miniseries|

* The Line of Beauty (2006)

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