Small Axe (TV Mini Series) Alex Wheatle (2020) User Reviews

Small Axe: ALEX WHEATLE (2020)

[taranpannu01 · 7/10 · 22 December 2020]

Alex Wheatle is a different film within the Small Axe saga, the biopic of a now well known writer and MBE holder wants to show a lot of his early life and it is clear Wheatle himself has told McQueen all these details in his life that I think he (McQueen) couldn't help but want to show whether or not they were even relevant to the overall arc or story he was presenting.

Newcomer Sheyi Cole shines as the titular Alex Wheatle, McQueen deliberately avoids the usual biopic conventions and shows the 'uprising' of this young man destined for more.

The film has some brilliant comedic moments that are actually quite melancholic the more you look into them.

Though not without pacing issues and some narrative faults, McQueen and co writer Alistair Siddons weave a lot of story within a short time frame showing Wheatle's journey from care (which a part of me wishes was explored more) to his involvement in the Brixton riots as well as the people along the way that have helped to where he is.

I think McQueen and Siddons lost focus of the narrative they wanted to tell and got lost in trying to tell too much too quickly. The film isn't bad by any means, just lost like the main character himself.

With a great supporting cast of Jonathan Jules, Khali Best and Robbie Gee, this entry into the Small Axe anthology is filled with urgency, great music and a respect for the real life figure but with a more focused script this film could've been much more compelling but despite that, McQueen presents a firm, beautifully shot (as always) foundation rather then the complete story of Alex Wheatle.

Needed more time to grow than was allowed here

[eddie_baggins · 6/10 · 14 February 2021]

Part four of Academy Award winning director Steve McQueen's five part mini-series of feature length films documenting the struggles of immigrants in the U.K during the 60's, 70's and 80's, Alex Wheatle is the second shortest addition to the Small Axe cannon and its a film that suffers from the confines of an hour long running time, with the feeling that now renowned author Alex Wheatle's story had a lot more to give.

As is to be expected from McQueen and the Small Axe brand that he helped birth, Alex Wheatle is a well-made film and features great production values, attention to detail and a nice central turn from upcoming actor Sheyi Cole but from the moment we meet Wheatle entering into jail for an at the time unknown criminal offense through to when we see him last stroll off into the credits an hour later, this intriguing figure who lived an undoubtedly tough early life remains an enigma, one audiences would've like to get to know more than what they are privy too here.

Raised without parents and thrust into a world he doesn't fully comprehend or understand his place in at the time, McQueen and his fellow screenwriter Alastair Siddons are unable to fully connect with their audience as Alex Wheatle at times floats along without much drive or aim as we get scenes of Wheatle buying musical records, learning the values of life with his new cell mate or connecting with new acquittances he meets in the outside world but there's no real glue holding any of these situations together, even if we can gather Wheatle is set on a career in music and fighting for a better life for his fellow people.

It's an aimless kind of way to spend an hour with a figure who is absolutely worth exploring more deeply and as the film draws close to its final moments, we just start to feel as though McQueen's film is ramping up to become the powerful entry into the Small Axe film series it at times threatened to be but you're left at films end wishing there was more time and effort spent on further exploring the journey of Wheatle that had lead to him becoming an award winning author and advocate to change, as well as a personal journey that connected him to his past to help understand the future.

Final Say -

Another well made and performed entry into the Small Axe series, there's an overarching sense that Alex Wheatle had more to give both as a film and a story, even if its always a pleasure to witness McQueen's work come to life in such artistic and humanistic ways.

3 wise cellmates out of 5

Over in a flash

[TheCorniestLemur · 7/10 · 28 May 2021]

I prefer it over Lovers Rock, but in some ways this left me even more cold than that one did.

This one, more than any other in this series so far, is most about the black community specifically, so as a white person, a lot of the language and culture simply flies straight over my head. Obviously that shouldn't be different just for my benefit - I think it's pretty obvious that first and foremost, this series was made by black people, for black people, and I wouldn't want to change that, but it does mean that some of this is alienating to me.

Speaking a bit more objectively, I think that this really could have benefited from having a longer runtime, as at only an hour and five minutes, it does often feel like it's racing through the motions and skipping over quite a bit, but Alex as a character is still pretty relatable and likable to me.

It's just that once you get the sense that he's been properly integrated into the black community, there's not much else to this narratively, because of course he's going to get out of prison and become a successful author, he's based on a real person who is a successful author.

But for all my whining, this is still just as well acted, shot, and directed as anything else in this series, and at least you can never say that any scene feels a bit pointless with this kind of runtime, unlike Mangrove.

But you know...there's so many scenes that could have had a point that just aren't in here, so...still Mangrove ftw.

Decent entry, but too brief to be fully effective

[gortx · 11 February 2021]

The fourth in Steve McQueen's Small Axe anthology series revolves around the title writer in London. Most of the story is told in flashback as Wheatle (Sheyi Cole) is in jail following the Brixton Uprising in 1981. Wheatle is depicted as a wayward young man who was orphaned as a baby and is trying to find his way in the world via writing and reggae music. McQueen and co-writer Alastair Siddons do a decent job setting the scene, but at just over an hour in length there isn't enough time to fully develop Wheatle as a person. The screenplay gives little hint of the award winning writer he would become and the explosive Brixton Uprising isn't really set up nor explored. It's not a bad episode, but it is inessential.

Good technical elements but not as fleshed out as it should be.

[Doublej20005 · 6/10 · 18 December 2020]

The first real disappointment of the Small Axe series, Alex Wheatle was still well acted, well directed and enjoyable as a whole, but the story could and should have been a lot better explored. Again, whilst there were good elements, the story just felt really bare-boned. In the film Mank, Herman Mankiewicz says 'You cannot capture a man's entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one.' If that's the case, you surely can't capture someone's life in slightly over an hour. The short runtime undercuts any real emotional connection I could have had with any of the characters. The performances are good and I was starting to enjoy the film more by the end, but by that point it was too late. I really appreciate the film from a technical standpoint, and I would still recommend it because of the really good direction and strong ending that somewhat saves the film from being legitimately bad rather than what it is; decent, but disappointing.

Alex Wheatle

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 17 December 2020]

I have relatives who are multiracial. They always tell how they never feel completely at ease with one group or another. The feeling of never completely belonging or being accepted.

This strikes a chord in Alex Wheatle. He grew up in white foster homes and white care homes. He experiences racism from the white kids and his carers.

When he moves to Brixton at the age of 18. Alex is a fish out of water. He knows little about his parents or his black identity.

Alex stands out in the black community from the way he dresses to the way he speaks. He befriends Dennis who becomes his mentor as they dabble in petty theft and drug dealing. Eventually Alex gets some success by DJing.

The story of Alex Wheatle is framed as he enters prison for taking part in the Brixton riots of 1981. He ends up in a cell with Simeon a big rastafarian who has the runs. The prison cell stinks of faeces.

Simeon coaxes Alex's story out of him and he becomes another mentor in prison. Simeon gives Alex books to read which inspires him to write.

Steve McQueen really gets the whiff of the early 1980s Brixton and particularly of that prison cell. It is small scale but is beautifully crafted.

I never knew that Alex Wheatle is based on a real person until after the end credits. He is a successful YA novelist who was awarded a MBE.

Knowing the Past to Know the Future

[Cineanalyst · 6/10 · 15 January 2021]

"Alex Wheatle," about the coming of age of the titular novelist, is a somewhat lacking entry in Steve McQueen's "Small Axe" anthology of five movies storywise--not because what is there is uninteresting, including the police brutality that typifies most of the "Small Axe" productions, but because it seems more incomplete than some of the other and longer pictures of the series. Its end feels more like an intermission or midway point. Plotwise, it's the most intricate of the five, though.

In it, Wheatle is imprisoned after the 1981 Brixton uprising, much of which is depicted by still photographs of the real events along with poetic narration. The rest of Wheatle's story is told by him as a flashback to his prison cell mate, further layered by the records of his upbringing that he later reads, as well as by his foray into music and that he's to become a writer. Ironically, too, it's the narrative of the past of an orphan who seems to have no heritage and who struggles to fit into either the communities of black or white, English or West Indies, cops or criminals--a theme that is also highlighted in McQueen's prior "Red, White and Blue" (2020). There's a lot going on that could've benefited from a runtime of more than barely over an hour. The title cards at the end describing what next happens for Wheatle feel like missing scenes.

Not as strong as other episodes, but still worth a watch

[agmoldham · 6/10 · 21 December 2020]

I've never really reviewed many tv productions in the past, but the Small Axe series are worthy of a movie release. The episodes are directed by Steve McQueen and they focus on the West Indian community in the late 20th century.

The Alex Wheatle episode highlights the struggles that Alex faces in prison via flash backs to his early life and how he came to be prosecuted. The issues that are confronted seem very realistic to me although I have a feeling that some of the characters are less scary on film than they would be in real life.

Alex Wheatle

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 12 December 2021]

Small Axe was an anthology of made-for-TV films from the BBC, suitably broadcast during the Black Lives Matter movement, created and directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave, Widows) - Alex Wheatle was the fourth film of the series. Based on the true story, young Alex Wheatle (Asad-Shareef Muhammad) spent his childhood in a mostly white institutional care home with no love or family. It is when he grew up and moved to Brixton that Alex Wheatle (Sheyi Cole) found not only a sense of community for the first time, but his identity and ability to grow his passion for music and DJing. In 1981, Wheatle participated in the 1981 Brixton Uprising, and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for his involvement during the riots. While serving his resulting sentence, it was his cellmate, a Rastafari, was the one who encouraged Wheatle to start reading books and care about his education. After his release, Wheatle went on to become an award-winning writer, releasing many successful novels, and now visits various institutions facilitating creative writing classes and making speeches. Also starring Robbie Gee as Simeon, Johann Myers as Cutlass Rankin, Jonathan Jules as Dennis Isaacs, Elliot Edusah as Valin, EastEnders' Khali Best as Badger, Fumilayo Brown-Olateju as Dawn, and Dexter Flanders as Floyd. The performances are all good, the story is engaging, the period detail is well done, and it really puts across how far Britain has come and how much needs to change with attitudes to race and equality, a most watchable historical drama. Small Axe was nominated the BAFTA for Mini-Series, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Very good!

A drama that effectively provides a glimpse of a particular time and place through the eyes of one man

[dr_clarke_2 · 9/10 · 8 May 2022]

The penultimate episode in Small Axe is another true story. 'Alex Wheatle' stars Sheyi Cole as Alex Wheatle, a young Black man (and later novelist) who was imprisoned following his participation in the Brixton Riots (now more commonly referred to as the Brixton Uprising) in 1981.

'Alex Wheatle' opens with a shell-shocked Alex entering prison at the start of his sentence, and then shows in flashback how he came to be there. Rather than make a film about the Brixton Uprising directly, McQueen and co-writer Alastair Siddons instead chose to focus on Wheatle's personal story, making this another character-driven instalment of the anthology. Self-avowedly British ("I'm from Surrey") Alex struggles to quite fit in with his Black friends - who identify more closely with their Jamaican roots - and is a perpetual outsider, with no family and an education he largely had to provide for himself. The film unflinchingly depicts the harsh life the young Alex endured in care. It doesn't excuse any of his choices in life, nor does it condemn them: it simply provides a compelling picture of a human being. The framing sequence shows Alex gradually bonding with Robbie Gee's Simeon, his cellmate and the man who encouraged him to start reading books. It ends optimistically, with Alex out of prison, resolving to find his family, and starting on the journey that would ultimately lead to him becoming a successful novelist.

'Alex Wheatle' is as polished as all of McQueen's work, with the usual peerless attention to detail in capturing the period, bolstered once more by a carefully selected soundtrack true to the era and the characters. To show the Brixton Uprising, McQueen uses a voiceover whilst black and white photos of the riots play in a montage, before they are then re-enacted: it's a powerful but simple way to show what happened. But then, that describes 'Alex Wheatle' in a nutshell, a drama that effectively provides a glimpse of a particular time and place through the eyes of one man.

Unique, striking addition to the Small Axe anthology

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 9/10 · 22 March 2021]

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

After a lifetime growing up and suffering abuse in the care system, Alex Wheatle (Sheyi Cole) moves to Brixton, where he embraces his culture and discovers his true identity, as a reggae singer. However, some negative experiences lead to him taking part in the Brixton riots of 1981, leading him to serve a short prison spell, but thankfully he was able to turn his life around and become an accomplished author, and was even awarded an MBE for services to literature.

Director Steve McQueen's penultimate entry in to his SA anthology takes a tough subject to examine, whose story as a London black youth mirrors that of Birmingham's Benjamin Zephaniah, an artist more closer to home for me. A lifetime of misfortune further hampered by negative treatment from society at the time, McQueen still manages to find a stream of upbeat positivity.

Like the rest of his post Mangrove short n' sweet efforts, McQueen approaches the subject matter with an unconventional style, taking a seemingly straightforward story and infusing it with something that lifts it above, most notably a voiceover delivering a poem while black and white photos of The New Cross fire and subsequent protests play on screen. Going back in time, like the other SA films, it depicts a time of open racism, using modern young actors who've grown up in a time when it's been driven underground, and so sound a little awkward and unconvincing saying it, making it look a bit naff rather than shocking. Thankfully, the same can't be said of the lead star, infusing his performance with a natural charisma that carries it along fine.

Unlike the previous Red, White and Blue, McQueen is thankfully able to round this off with a positive outcome for his lead protagonist, showing how positive change can be in society and the individual. And throws in some nice reggae tunes for balance.****

Unwatchable

[mercxpress · 1/10 · 12 December 2020]

Even with subtitles I cannot understand the language. McQueen is s great director but this is a very narrowly focused show

A Poignant Story, by One of Our Finest Directors

[seemingly_reel · 17 December 2020]

This is a story bursting with harsh realities, and it is very finely cast. The score and production design were in top form.

As another viewer mentioned, the Jamaican accent was thick in many scenes. This is why I benefited from using closed captions... some of the terms were new to me, which was totally fine.

Sheyi Cole thoughtfully plays the complex role of Alex Wheatle. Although I cannot fully relate to Wheatle's life circumstances, I genuinely felt empathy for him.