Pretty decent directional debut of Idris Elba. It takes partly place in Jamaica and partly in London. It has quite interesting characters, even if they are at times a bit stereotype. But he tries to look beneath the dread locks and mostly successes. The lead actor Aml Ameen was very good and an excellent choice for the lead. Great performance, very sympathich and versatile. I did not like Stephen Graham who totally hammered it up. But the rest of the cast, that also involves a beautiful performance by Shantol Jackson and the kid who played the young "D" got perfectly directed by Elba. Its a crime story. A revenge story. The story itself is not new, maybe just the setting and circumstances. The film is accompanied with great music and the atmosphere was perfectly captured in general. The ending is good and satisfying (which is something rare these days...) All in all a recommendable film, but not one that will win awards.
62 Reviews
Very little to get your teeth into
Bertaut11 September 2018
Yardie is the directorial debut of Idris Elba, and is about as pedestrian a film as you're likely to see all year; a listless gangland-based drama composed of a litany of gangster-film clichés. There are a couple of elements worth praising, and it's competently directed, but by and large, it's extremely shallow, containing nothing you haven't seen in half a dozen other films. I wish it wasn't so; I'm a big Elba fan (who isn't), but, let's face it, a lot of his post-Stringer Bell acting work has been poor, to say the least - RocknRolla (2008), The Unborn (2009), Prometheus (2012), No Good Deed (2014), Bastille Day (2016), The Dark Tower (2017); hardly an impressive CV. Still though, for his first film in the director's chair, I was hopeful he might chose a project with a little more care than he seems to be choosing his acting roles. And whilst he certainly seems to have settled on something personal, a story with whose milieu he is already familiar, the film is populated by generic characters, themes, and narrative beats; at best, it's fitfully interesting, at worst, it doesn't work at all, plodding along at its own imprecise pace, getting nowhere fast. And then it ends.
Based on Victor Headley's 1992 novel of the same name, and adapted for the screen by Headley, Brock Norman Brock, and Martin Stellman, the film begins in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973, a town in the midst of a bloody gang-war. Sick of the violence, local man Jerry Dread (Everaldo Creary) decides to stage an impromptu block-party in the no man's land between each gang's territory (détente by reggae, if you will). All is going well, with Jerry even coaxing the two rival kingpins up on stage to shake hands. However, a youth in the crowd shoots Jerry dead, leaving his kid brother, D, distraught. At the subsequent Nine-Nights, D refuses to bless Jerry's journey into the afterlife, which tradition says will prevent the spirit from being able to move on, and sure enough, shortly thereafter, D begins to imagine he is being watched by Jerry's ghost. Ten years later, D (Aml Ameen) has worked his way up the ranks of music producer/drug lord King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd), who was also one of the men onstage when Jerry was killed. However, Fox regards D as too much of a "mad dog", and so packs him off to Hackney, London, with a kilo of coke to be delivered to Fox's London connection, Rico (Stephen Graham). D is only too happy to go, as his childhood sweetheart, Yvonne (Shantol Jackson) relocated to London several years earlier with their daughter, and they've been estranged ever since. However, upon meeting Rico, he and D rub each other up the wrong way, and D flees with the cocaine, later teaming up with a sound clash crew who know a Turk willing to sell D's drugs. Meanwhile, D attempts to reconnect with Yvonne and his daughter, learns Jerry's killer may be in London, and is unhappy to learn Fox is coming to the city to sort out the situation between D and Rico personally.
The term "yardie" has something of a double meaning; within the Jamaican diaspora, it tends to describe those who were actually born in Jamaica. However, outside the Caribbean, it tends to refer to organised Jamaican gangs operating on foreign soil, especially the UK. Coming from the Patois "yard", which can mean "home", the term carries both a hint of condemnation aimed at the crime gangs who swear they love their country whilst shaming it with their actions, but also a sense of national pride, a desire to establish a connective tissue with the motherland. And it's in relation to nationality and ethnic identity that Yardie is at its strongest - the film does a truly excellent job of evoking not only a time and place, but a whole subculture.
Pretty much everything looks completely authentic, almost documentarian (it probably helps that Elba himself was born in Hackney, later working as a DJ, whilst most of the cast are either Jamaican or of Jamaican lineage. Even Stephen Graham's paternal grandfather was Jamaican). Similarly, the soundtrack isn't simply representative of monolithic 70s/80s, but actually gives the film its rhythm, with Elba choosing songs of great cultural significance - tracks such as Lord Creator's "Kingston Town" (1970), The Isley Brothers' "Work to Do" (1972), Max Romeo & The Upsetters' "War Ina Babylon" (1976), Skip Marley's 2018 cover of his grandfather's "Johnny Was" (1976), Black Uhuru's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1979), and Grace Jones's "My Jamaican Guy" (1983). Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter at Sundance, Elba says of the soundtrack, "the music carries a message, and also gives a vibe. Especially in the 80s in London, we revisit the club scene there, and it was really important to me, because that's where I discovered myself as a DJ, it was really important to me that the audience feel like they have just left the club in those scenes."
This sense of authenticity is carried into an aspect of the film with which I'm sure a lot of people will have problems - the dialogue is delivered entirely in heavy Pathois, without any subtitles. Personally, I think this is an admirable decision; nothing takes you out of a film quicker than English subtitles for spoken English (I'm thinking of something like Chappie (2015)). And although there is no doubt that it's hard to understand some of what is said, and a few of the character beats are probably lost as a result, David Ehrlich's ludicrous assertion that "40% of the movie is unintelligible" in his damning IndieWire review is absolute rubbish. He criticises the film for being "needlessly difficult" due to the lack of subtitles, apparently not considering that this is genuinely the accent with which these people speak, and we're quick to judge films that mangle dialects. It's really no different from seeing an English Renaissance play or reading Chaucer - once you acclimate yourself to it, there shouldn't be any major problems. According to Elba, "I was super aware I was asking an audience that aren't familiar with the accent to really listen. But what's come from that is that people feel like they've just taken a real authentic journey into a place they didn't know too much about."
It's not just the aural design that is excellent - the visual tapestry really evokes place and culture too, as Elba does a fine job of indoctrinating the viewer into the cadences of the culture, capturing the period details of early 1980s Hackney with the eye of someone who lived there. This aspect of authenticity is matched in the props; according to production designer Damien Creagh almost nothing was custom made for the film, with the vast majority of props being working examples of the period. Of this sense of visual authenticity, speaking to IndieWire, Elba states, "the main thing that I spoke to the entire cast about was authenticity, everyone from the lead down to the last extra. Authenticity of thought; my thing was always say, "don't lie to the camera, be honest in the moment. If you're not feeling it, don't do it, because it will come across as a lie, and fake"."
Unfortunately, however, "the film does a truly excellent job of evoking not only a time and place, but a whole subculture" is about the only praise I can give, because the rest of the film is extremely poor. Where to begin? Firstly, we've seen this film before, dozens of times - the gangster with a heart of gold wrestling with his loyalty and his desire to go straight, with only the love of a good woman to help guide him - and there's not an original character in the mix, with every single one of the principal cast (with the possible exception of Rico) coming across like they've been assembled from a "make your own" movie clichés modelling kit. The directionless plot also displays no real sense of dramatic intent, jumping from one thing to the next, often with little causality linking the two; it's more a collection of tentatively related scenes than a coherent narrative.
The use of voiceover is also troubling. Highly didactic and explanatory, it says nothing that can't be gleaned by simply watching the film. Voiceovers giving beat-by-beat summaries of a narrative (think the original cut of Blade Runner (1982)) are always a bad idea. The only style of voiceovers that work are the more esoteric kind used by Terrence Malick, or ones which set up a direct contrast with what we're seeing. This is neither.
The problem is, simply put, that the narrative is so much weaker than the milieu containing it. Certainly not a problem exclusive to this film (if you've seen anything Ridley Scott has done post-Gladiator (2000), you're already familiar with this issue), but it's especially pronounced here because a) the narrative is so derivative, and b) the milieu is so strongly evoked. The film is too enamoured with the tropes of the gangster movie to work as a genre subversion, nor is it pulpy enough to be enjoyed for its excess, à la something like Scarface (1983) or Romeo Is Bleeding (1993). It occupies this inoffensive, vanilla middle ground, not really doing a huge amount wrong, but not really doing a huge amount right either.
Based on Victor Headley's 1992 novel of the same name, and adapted for the screen by Headley, Brock Norman Brock, and Martin Stellman, the film begins in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973, a town in the midst of a bloody gang-war. Sick of the violence, local man Jerry Dread (Everaldo Creary) decides to stage an impromptu block-party in the no man's land between each gang's territory (détente by reggae, if you will). All is going well, with Jerry even coaxing the two rival kingpins up on stage to shake hands. However, a youth in the crowd shoots Jerry dead, leaving his kid brother, D, distraught. At the subsequent Nine-Nights, D refuses to bless Jerry's journey into the afterlife, which tradition says will prevent the spirit from being able to move on, and sure enough, shortly thereafter, D begins to imagine he is being watched by Jerry's ghost. Ten years later, D (Aml Ameen) has worked his way up the ranks of music producer/drug lord King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd), who was also one of the men onstage when Jerry was killed. However, Fox regards D as too much of a "mad dog", and so packs him off to Hackney, London, with a kilo of coke to be delivered to Fox's London connection, Rico (Stephen Graham). D is only too happy to go, as his childhood sweetheart, Yvonne (Shantol Jackson) relocated to London several years earlier with their daughter, and they've been estranged ever since. However, upon meeting Rico, he and D rub each other up the wrong way, and D flees with the cocaine, later teaming up with a sound clash crew who know a Turk willing to sell D's drugs. Meanwhile, D attempts to reconnect with Yvonne and his daughter, learns Jerry's killer may be in London, and is unhappy to learn Fox is coming to the city to sort out the situation between D and Rico personally.
The term "yardie" has something of a double meaning; within the Jamaican diaspora, it tends to describe those who were actually born in Jamaica. However, outside the Caribbean, it tends to refer to organised Jamaican gangs operating on foreign soil, especially the UK. Coming from the Patois "yard", which can mean "home", the term carries both a hint of condemnation aimed at the crime gangs who swear they love their country whilst shaming it with their actions, but also a sense of national pride, a desire to establish a connective tissue with the motherland. And it's in relation to nationality and ethnic identity that Yardie is at its strongest - the film does a truly excellent job of evoking not only a time and place, but a whole subculture.
Pretty much everything looks completely authentic, almost documentarian (it probably helps that Elba himself was born in Hackney, later working as a DJ, whilst most of the cast are either Jamaican or of Jamaican lineage. Even Stephen Graham's paternal grandfather was Jamaican). Similarly, the soundtrack isn't simply representative of monolithic 70s/80s, but actually gives the film its rhythm, with Elba choosing songs of great cultural significance - tracks such as Lord Creator's "Kingston Town" (1970), The Isley Brothers' "Work to Do" (1972), Max Romeo & The Upsetters' "War Ina Babylon" (1976), Skip Marley's 2018 cover of his grandfather's "Johnny Was" (1976), Black Uhuru's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1979), and Grace Jones's "My Jamaican Guy" (1983). Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter at Sundance, Elba says of the soundtrack, "the music carries a message, and also gives a vibe. Especially in the 80s in London, we revisit the club scene there, and it was really important to me, because that's where I discovered myself as a DJ, it was really important to me that the audience feel like they have just left the club in those scenes."
This sense of authenticity is carried into an aspect of the film with which I'm sure a lot of people will have problems - the dialogue is delivered entirely in heavy Pathois, without any subtitles. Personally, I think this is an admirable decision; nothing takes you out of a film quicker than English subtitles for spoken English (I'm thinking of something like Chappie (2015)). And although there is no doubt that it's hard to understand some of what is said, and a few of the character beats are probably lost as a result, David Ehrlich's ludicrous assertion that "40% of the movie is unintelligible" in his damning IndieWire review is absolute rubbish. He criticises the film for being "needlessly difficult" due to the lack of subtitles, apparently not considering that this is genuinely the accent with which these people speak, and we're quick to judge films that mangle dialects. It's really no different from seeing an English Renaissance play or reading Chaucer - once you acclimate yourself to it, there shouldn't be any major problems. According to Elba, "I was super aware I was asking an audience that aren't familiar with the accent to really listen. But what's come from that is that people feel like they've just taken a real authentic journey into a place they didn't know too much about."
It's not just the aural design that is excellent - the visual tapestry really evokes place and culture too, as Elba does a fine job of indoctrinating the viewer into the cadences of the culture, capturing the period details of early 1980s Hackney with the eye of someone who lived there. This aspect of authenticity is matched in the props; according to production designer Damien Creagh almost nothing was custom made for the film, with the vast majority of props being working examples of the period. Of this sense of visual authenticity, speaking to IndieWire, Elba states, "the main thing that I spoke to the entire cast about was authenticity, everyone from the lead down to the last extra. Authenticity of thought; my thing was always say, "don't lie to the camera, be honest in the moment. If you're not feeling it, don't do it, because it will come across as a lie, and fake"."
Unfortunately, however, "the film does a truly excellent job of evoking not only a time and place, but a whole subculture" is about the only praise I can give, because the rest of the film is extremely poor. Where to begin? Firstly, we've seen this film before, dozens of times - the gangster with a heart of gold wrestling with his loyalty and his desire to go straight, with only the love of a good woman to help guide him - and there's not an original character in the mix, with every single one of the principal cast (with the possible exception of Rico) coming across like they've been assembled from a "make your own" movie clichés modelling kit. The directionless plot also displays no real sense of dramatic intent, jumping from one thing to the next, often with little causality linking the two; it's more a collection of tentatively related scenes than a coherent narrative.
The use of voiceover is also troubling. Highly didactic and explanatory, it says nothing that can't be gleaned by simply watching the film. Voiceovers giving beat-by-beat summaries of a narrative (think the original cut of Blade Runner (1982)) are always a bad idea. The only style of voiceovers that work are the more esoteric kind used by Terrence Malick, or ones which set up a direct contrast with what we're seeing. This is neither.
The problem is, simply put, that the narrative is so much weaker than the milieu containing it. Certainly not a problem exclusive to this film (if you've seen anything Ridley Scott has done post-Gladiator (2000), you're already familiar with this issue), but it's especially pronounced here because a) the narrative is so derivative, and b) the milieu is so strongly evoked. The film is too enamoured with the tropes of the gangster movie to work as a genre subversion, nor is it pulpy enough to be enjoyed for its excess, à la something like Scarface (1983) or Romeo Is Bleeding (1993). It occupies this inoffensive, vanilla middle ground, not really doing a huge amount wrong, but not really doing a huge amount right either.
Not bad, but needed a better screenplay
bastos16 October 2020
Solid first feature from Idris Elba. It tells the story of a young Jamaican man as he struggles in the criminal underworld of 1980's England. It is well shot and acted but the screenplay is severely lacking, which is a pity. It's just a cliche ridden movie with the usual tropes from every gangster movie ever made, where you can predict every twist and turn it takes. It's not a bad movie, mind you, as the period reconstruction and feel is very well made, and even the story is not terrible, it's just derivative and predictable which leaves you with a bit of an empty feeling by the end.
Solid and stylish debut
BongoJustice4 January 2019
Well well, a lot of the people on here complaining that they "couldn't understand half the dialogue". Um...It's a movie called Yardie, about Jamaicans. In fact the dialogue is perfectly intelligible, so ignore these Daily Mail fools. Try watching Rockers if you want to hear real patios. (Though I suspect you may not, it'd probably send you into an apoplectic gammon rage).
Also some of these reviews are trashing the movie out of hand. I can't imagine what their problem can be with Ghanaian-descended actor and director Idris Elba. Seriously guys if you just plain don't like black people there's a name for that and you probably shouldn't watch movies about Jamaicans. Some people also complaining that the director isn't Jamaican. Presumably they're also furious that Spielberg isn't an alien, or a dinosaur.
With that out of the way, this is a visually and sonically sumptuous movie. It looks gorgeous and while the plot is fairly standard gangster fare (I haven't read the book so I judge the film purely on its own merits) it's an enjoyable and well made film, and definitely worth your time.
Ignore the obvious hater comments and make your own mind up.
Also some of these reviews are trashing the movie out of hand. I can't imagine what their problem can be with Ghanaian-descended actor and director Idris Elba. Seriously guys if you just plain don't like black people there's a name for that and you probably shouldn't watch movies about Jamaicans. Some people also complaining that the director isn't Jamaican. Presumably they're also furious that Spielberg isn't an alien, or a dinosaur.
With that out of the way, this is a visually and sonically sumptuous movie. It looks gorgeous and while the plot is fairly standard gangster fare (I haven't read the book so I judge the film purely on its own merits) it's an enjoyable and well made film, and definitely worth your time.
Ignore the obvious hater comments and make your own mind up.
Decent gangster flick and a promising directorial debut
Doctor_Dexter5 October 2020
The 'coming of age' intro is well chosen and nicely executed. This approach makes flashbacks to the defining moment more real than they would have been without the introduction of 'D' as a teenager. The story is put together pretty well, although some developments are a bit predictable. Nothing too bad though, it's a decent watch all together.
The performances by the protagonist and his wife (and child) are flawless, both as adults and children. Some of the thugs and compadres stand out as well. Only a few (relatively) minor characters feel slightly over the top. No need to point fingers, as you can judge for yourself.
There's a nice period atmosphere going on, and some rather cool cars as well.
All in all, I enjoyed the film, and I will definitely check out Idris Elba's future endeavours.
The performances by the protagonist and his wife (and child) are flawless, both as adults and children. Some of the thugs and compadres stand out as well. Only a few (relatively) minor characters feel slightly over the top. No need to point fingers, as you can judge for yourself.
There's a nice period atmosphere going on, and some rather cool cars as well.
All in all, I enjoyed the film, and I will definitely check out Idris Elba's future endeavours.
No more war
nogodnomasters30 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Dennis (Aml Ameen) watches his father (Everaldo Creary) get gunned down in Kingston while holding a block party attempting to stop a gang war. Years later Dennis works for King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd) as a drug dealer in London. Dennis is still after vengeance, not allowing his father's spirit to rest until it is done.
It was a decent drama and might have ranked higher if I understood what they were saying half the time. My copy could have used subtitles, mon. Aml Ameen gives a good performance.
Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity
It was a decent drama and might have ranked higher if I understood what they were saying half the time. My copy could have used subtitles, mon. Aml Ameen gives a good performance.
Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity
Terrible
raskarl3 October 2018
I had so many high expectations for this film going in. I thought that the fact it was attached to Idris Elba meant that surely it would be stellar. Sadly that was certainly not the case...I was constantly waiting for the film to start moving at a pace but it just kept dragging.
It's no wonder that it has such limited showtimes at cinemas (my experience).
I would advise waiting until this comes out on DVD and pick it up cheaply. Don't waste your hard earned cash to see it...luckily I didn't have to pay!!
Yardie - Passion project for Idris Elba
brankovranjkovic6 September 2018
Documentary drama, BBC Films / B.F.I. production.
Set in 1970's & 80's Jamaica and London.
The protagonist ('D' or Dennis) is traumatised by his brother's murder, can he forgive or avenge the killer? 'D' is sent to London to deliver a 1KG bag of cocaine. The film had moments of excellence, though I imagine that was due to accomplished editing rather than talented directing. Some of the Rasta dialogue was hard to understand, but stick with it - you'll generally get the gist.
This is an effective commentary on the current state of violent in London / UK.
The themes explored are crime, revenge, family, drugs, and black culture.
Worth a watch.
Set in 1970's & 80's Jamaica and London.
The protagonist ('D' or Dennis) is traumatised by his brother's murder, can he forgive or avenge the killer? 'D' is sent to London to deliver a 1KG bag of cocaine. The film had moments of excellence, though I imagine that was due to accomplished editing rather than talented directing. Some of the Rasta dialogue was hard to understand, but stick with it - you'll generally get the gist.
This is an effective commentary on the current state of violent in London / UK.
The themes explored are crime, revenge, family, drugs, and black culture.
Worth a watch.
Not a good Film
jrbond-576245 January 2019
Having grown up in a multi-cultural inner city during the 70s and 80s in England, I had no trouble understanding the dialogue, but I can understand how a sheltered life, middle class type might. The film is just packed full of clichés. The characters are one dimensional, stereotypical and the plot (if you can call it one) is just dull. I didn't enjoy it, I didn't hate it. It's just a very mediocre film that I wouldn't recommend watching or watch it again. The potential for a truly brilliant movie was there, but this film failed on so many levels. As another reviewer has said, the feeling the film evokes, the music, the costume, the props - it's all there. The key parts that are missing are acting, a plot, direction and anything resembling camera work. A poor directorial debut from Idris Elba - stick to acting. You are not a director.
Yardie mixes mellow character driven reggae with violently noisy bass.
TheMovieDiorama31 August 2018
A directorial debut for the talented Idris Elba, and what a promising start this is. Flourishing in its Jamaican roots with a hint of Hackney on the side, Elba manages to adapt a novel whilst injecting some personal flavour into the story making for a tasty crime drama. After the death of his brother, an errand boy is hired to deliver a package where he is stuck at a symbolic crossroad. Walk down the path of righteousness as a good man, or seek vengeance and crumble down the path of the damned. It would be effortless to label this as a formulaic plot that hinges on shoot outs, drug smuggling and murder. And, to some extent, it does contain clichéd tendencies. However, Elba manages to spice up the drama with a rather balanced character portrayal that enables him to include action set pieces and personal reflection. It's a story that he holds close, the attention to detail makes that obvious. Never portraying any individual as an antagonist, each character is created to act as various strands of morality. The innocent bystanders trying to make a living on one side, and the drug lords on the other. This conjures up a multitude of decisions that tests the protagonist's moral compass, allowing substantial character development. Fantastic central performance from Ameen who expressively encapsulates the conflicting emotions within the character of "D". Graham also gave a decent supporting role. A large part of Yardie is the underground reggae music. Clearly an insight into Elba's motives for DJ-ing, it does provide a jamming beat that rolls with the narrative's pace. You can really feel it surge through the story. Although, there may have been too much focus on the music and not enough effort into producing an emotional response from certain pivotal scenes. Also, the heavy Jamaican accent did make the dialogue slightly difficult to comprehend. My ears are not attuned, evidently. Fortunately the well-paced narrative, directing technique and performances are clear indications that Elba is more than welcome to sit in the director's chair.
"Yardie" has tons of potential but never stands out.
SnobReviews7 May 2019
"Yardie" proves that Idris Elba (BBC's "Luther") can not only act, but he knows how to set a tone as a director, even if the finished product isn't as good as you'd hope.
In this crime drama set in 1970s Jamaica and 1980s Hackney, a young man who witnesses his brothers assassination embarks on a bloody quest for revenge.
Overall a forgettable crime film that is really hard to understand at some points and I felt that was frustrating. A film that we've seen before but has a ton of potential. The cast is quite good but I feel the script is what brings them down in the end. As much as "Yardie" was disappointing, I'd still love to see more of Idris Elba behind the camera.
In this crime drama set in 1970s Jamaica and 1980s Hackney, a young man who witnesses his brothers assassination embarks on a bloody quest for revenge.
Overall a forgettable crime film that is really hard to understand at some points and I felt that was frustrating. A film that we've seen before but has a ton of potential. The cast is quite good but I feel the script is what brings them down in the end. As much as "Yardie" was disappointing, I'd still love to see more of Idris Elba behind the camera.
Long overdue
beachym25 August 2018
As a Londoner i realised that a movie like this had never been made. We don't have any movies or historical reference material which provides insight into the journey Jamaican expats made and what it was like to settle iinto the Uk during the 70s and 80s. Its scandalous that this movie hasn't been made before.
Although the book makes us despise the lead character D, in the movie he came across as captivating. Human, flawed and often funny. In fact there is this trail of humour which filters through the dialogue which is also my experience of being with my Jamaican friends. Sometimes humour in unlikely places in the movie especially with the audience's attitude to Rico. A nasty yet colorful character played by a white man who sounds Jamaican and it turns out Steven Graham does actually have Jamaican heritage and grew up in a Caribbean neighbourhood in Manchester as a child. He is excellent in this movie.
The lead actress who plays D's wife has never been in a movie before and her performance electrified the screen. Part of the generation of Jamaicans who came over to work in the NHS, she represents all that is good and solid in the community.
I found it fascinating and felt it was important for all Londoners and Jamaicans to see this movie. A slice of our history
people throwing out 10's like candy is a joke.
natcalgary14 February 2019
Idris' mother's carpet
jasonedge823 August 2018
I was lucky enough to go to a preview screening and Q&A with Idris Elba where he said to give it glowing reviews if we loved it and just mention his mum's carpet (which makes an appearance in the film) if we didn't. Unfortunately this film did not live up to all I'd hoped. The story itself is sound and would make a decent action movie plot but Idris seems to have tried to make something more gritty which falls flat for me. The broad accents slip on occasions sometimes intentionally and there is some stereotyping too. It's a story of murder, revenge, drugs and Jamaican gang warfare with a reggae soundtrack which may sell better than the movie. I'm sure having Idris Elba's name attached will help opening weekend ticket sales but I wouldn't be surprised if this is on digital download on your TV screen in a month or two.
Passable, but doesn't realize its potential nearly as much as it could
wellthatswhatithinkanyway13 September 2018
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
In Jamaica in the early 1970s, the older brother of Dennis (Aml Ameen) is murdered in a spate of gang warfare. He falls under the wing of King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd), a record producer who runs a side line in drugs. Eventually, he entrusts Dennis to courier a package of cocaine over to England, into the possession of drug kingpin Rico (Stephen Graham), which goes awry, sending him into a dangerous spiral of retribution that threatens to engulf Yvonne (Shantol Jackson), his reacquainted love and the mother of his child, before King Fox's arrival in England, and Dennis's own culminative revenge.
After becoming quite a prominent face on-screen, Idris Alba has decided to retreat behind the camera for a bit with this, his feature length debut after directing two minor TV credits. Adapted from a novel by Victor Headley, he appears to have given it a very personal touch, in what he seems to have taken as a very relatable tale. But the end product is nothing more than a passable, easily forgettable effort, not awful in any sense of the word, but one that fails to be the dynamite tale it possibly could have been.
While Alba has captured the Jamaican patois and street slang impressively accurately, he fails to really get under the skin of the brutal 'yardie' sub-culture, and really bring to life this most negative aspect of Caribbean immigration. Performances wise, Graham as the coke addled drug lord is probably the most high profile cast member, and he is definitely capable of great work, but this really isn't a great example of it, here a hammy villain who's always smoking and swaggering about in colourful shirts and overcoats, although Ameen does command presence in the lead role.
For those fond of underground reggae or even more mainstream stuff from the time the film is set in, it's definitely a bonus that some of the beats are bang tidy. Otherwise, you're left with a serviceable but disappointing tale, that is fused with subplots and sub-characters, but fails to make it all gel into a really satisfying whole. ***
In Jamaica in the early 1970s, the older brother of Dennis (Aml Ameen) is murdered in a spate of gang warfare. He falls under the wing of King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd), a record producer who runs a side line in drugs. Eventually, he entrusts Dennis to courier a package of cocaine over to England, into the possession of drug kingpin Rico (Stephen Graham), which goes awry, sending him into a dangerous spiral of retribution that threatens to engulf Yvonne (Shantol Jackson), his reacquainted love and the mother of his child, before King Fox's arrival in England, and Dennis's own culminative revenge.
After becoming quite a prominent face on-screen, Idris Alba has decided to retreat behind the camera for a bit with this, his feature length debut after directing two minor TV credits. Adapted from a novel by Victor Headley, he appears to have given it a very personal touch, in what he seems to have taken as a very relatable tale. But the end product is nothing more than a passable, easily forgettable effort, not awful in any sense of the word, but one that fails to be the dynamite tale it possibly could have been.
While Alba has captured the Jamaican patois and street slang impressively accurately, he fails to really get under the skin of the brutal 'yardie' sub-culture, and really bring to life this most negative aspect of Caribbean immigration. Performances wise, Graham as the coke addled drug lord is probably the most high profile cast member, and he is definitely capable of great work, but this really isn't a great example of it, here a hammy villain who's always smoking and swaggering about in colourful shirts and overcoats, although Ameen does command presence in the lead role.
For those fond of underground reggae or even more mainstream stuff from the time the film is set in, it's definitely a bonus that some of the beats are bang tidy. Otherwise, you're left with a serviceable but disappointing tale, that is fused with subplots and sub-characters, but fails to make it all gel into a really satisfying whole. ***
Enjoyable indie film.
DeadMansTrousers12 January 2019
While this film might not be everyones cup of tea I thought it was enjoyable. There are some moments that are reminiscent of classic films in this genre like The Warriors but for the most part it is very fresh and has a great soundtrack. The main actors in it did a great job and I would definitely recommend it.
Not exactly based on the book
dhriordan-3510528 May 2019
A bit of a mess of a film, really. Doesn't really follow the plot of the book and is of limited appeal to anyone not well versed in the patois used in the film. I spent most of it wondering what the hell was going on.
For enthusiasts only.
For enthusiasts only.
A beautiful debut
merlyn-9920430 August 2018
I was lucky enough to get a preview ticket and felt lucky to get a look before the masses.
In essence, the film was very entertaining, filled with nostalgia, under appreciated culture and a truer depiction of London life that o've Seem else where.
For all of its fabulous production values, amazing acting and brilliant locations, at times the story seems underdeveloped. The anguish and rage of the lead character is not given enough time to develop, which makes his actions less relatable and makes it feel as though the film was the victim of the cutting room floor.
However, overall the story tells a heartfelt tale of the perils of a criminal life, and is an entertaining insight into the lives of London's diverse community.
In essence, the film was very entertaining, filled with nostalgia, under appreciated culture and a truer depiction of London life that o've Seem else where.
For all of its fabulous production values, amazing acting and brilliant locations, at times the story seems underdeveloped. The anguish and rage of the lead character is not given enough time to develop, which makes his actions less relatable and makes it feel as though the film was the victim of the cutting room floor.
However, overall the story tells a heartfelt tale of the perils of a criminal life, and is an entertaining insight into the lives of London's diverse community.
Disney version
shin-6348928 December 2018
Tells a story but needs more blood and gore. I remember the days when yardie gangsters invaded Britain. This is more like a made for TV docu/drama. These people were frightening and I never met one who had an ounce of human kindness in his eyes, never mind looking like a boy band member. Think Scarface Al Pacino when the Cubans came to America just on a smaller scale. This flick fails miserably.
Greatly done!
aj-7948123 December 2018
Oliver and Yardie
Kumarh0231 August 2018
I was really looking forward to this movie about yardies and I felt positive about Idris' association - confident it would deliver quality and substance, but boy was I wrong! 102 mins of pure patwa becomes very cumbersome and I struggled to understand the dialogue in parts. The plot and acting is weak with some very cheesy cliche scenes. While Idris may feel he owes a nod to his roots, the movie is let down by poor acting and what felt like self-indulging, culture promoting, teeth sucking nonsense. Stephen Graham did really well in parts with the accent and mannerisms but even he faltered glaringly on a few occasions. Overall it's a yawn, City of God it certainly isn't.
Independent British Film Stamped On It!
aarash-ahmadi9 September 2018
Solid British/Jamaican Crime Drama
dwremy2 September 2019
Great directorial debut from Idris Elba. Although we have all seen crime dramas before and this doesn't cover new ground, it excels in that it shows life in Jamaica and carries the story to London and the life of Jamaicans there. Overall this film is not bad at all, and I'm curious to see how in the future Elba directs material that isn't crime drama.
I didn't like it at all - but I imagine a certain target audience would
shuebcreative25 August 2018
I watched this on preview as a bunch of friends wanted to watch it. I didn't know anything about the film, and prefer to watch films without knowing where it's going or whats it about.
I gave it 45 minutes, and at no point did it really grip me or engage me in any way.
The production was decent, but in terms of being entertained, or even have a really strong storyline, I felt it was lacking big time.
Saying that, the friends I was with actually really enjoyed it.
It is possible suited to people of afro-carribean / or black background and they would probably connect and understand the subtle jokes etc and the whole vibe of the film better - being asian I assumed it'd be something in the same ilk as East is East but for people of african origin, and from what I remember - you didn't have to be asian to find East is East a really great film.
I might not be the right target market to be fair, but I've watched many films based on african / black culture, as well as variety of other films based on certain cultures, and generally the good ones can be riveting. This unfortunately wasn't and I couldn't wait for the film to end. Sorry Idris.
I gave it 45 minutes, and at no point did it really grip me or engage me in any way.
The production was decent, but in terms of being entertained, or even have a really strong storyline, I felt it was lacking big time.
Saying that, the friends I was with actually really enjoyed it.
It is possible suited to people of afro-carribean / or black background and they would probably connect and understand the subtle jokes etc and the whole vibe of the film better - being asian I assumed it'd be something in the same ilk as East is East but for people of african origin, and from what I remember - you didn't have to be asian to find East is East a really great film.
I might not be the right target market to be fair, but I've watched many films based on african / black culture, as well as variety of other films based on certain cultures, and generally the good ones can be riveting. This unfortunately wasn't and I couldn't wait for the film to end. Sorry Idris.
A decent directorial debut.
Pjtaylor-96-1380441 September 2018
'Yardie (2018)' is a decent directorial debut that's confidently constructed and only comes up short, technically speaking, in a couple of key but ultimately kind of minor areas. The most impactful of these is its heavy-handed, tell-not-show narration that feels utterly unnecessary and only serves to reduce audience connection. A much, much smaller thing that also bugs me is the strange font choice that doesn't feel cohesive with the style otherwise presented. Of course, the latter of these problems has a lot less baring on the flick's quality than the former, but I still noticed it and it got to me. Anyway, the film picks up the pace after a slow start to become an entertaining and, at times, emotionally tense experience that takes some bold steps towards its finale. Unfortunately, it backtracks upon them somewhat, compromising upon what could've been an amazingly ambiguous ending to instead deliver a decisive yet admittedly quite dark and somewhat daring finish. A key character's arc is also sort of left incomplete, though this is by design and is, again, quite a brave choice even if it isn't necessarily all that satisfying. All of this culminates in a solid effort that doesn't really stick in your mind as much as you'd hope, instead playing out as a perfectly entertaining experience in the moment - despite the occasionally experience-breaking occurrence - but drifting from your mind pretty quickly after the credits have rolled. This is mainly because it doesn't feel, in retrospect, as though there's all that much going on in terms of narrative (as opposed to just plot), character and theme. 6/10
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