4 3 2 1 is the latest film to come from the mind of Noel Clarke and right from the start it is obviously a film by him.
The same snappy editing seen in Adulthood is once again present and the use of quick cuts to disorientate and confuse the audience is once again put to effective use in this intriguing and very well told story.
The film is the type of film that I do not expect the mass public to like and pay to see, it is anti-main stream and proud. The narrative shows three days in the life of each of the four main girls as they each go about their business, it follows one girl at a time before rewinding and following a different girl, each time more being revealed about the characters and the situation.
The film has little real plot as it is more of a character study of women (and crime) in Britain and has no real ending with a sort of cliff hanger that fails. A majority of the acting is also quite poor as the leads fail to give their characters the depth needed, the stand out performers are Ophelia Lovibond as the shy and troubled Shannon, and Noel Clarke in his role as the main villain.
However despite all this it is still a film that I thoroughly enjoyed as Clark has once again written a script that captures drama and mixes it with comedy and has also used many techniques to give this film a very sleek finish and make it enjoyable to watch. I also enjoyed watching all the little cameos of famous people such as Ben Miller, Eve and Plan B.
So in general if you take this film as a film then it is a failure in terms of narrative and performance, but very well made. However if like Clarke's previous films you view it as a social study on Britain it is very effective as within the four story lines Clarke tackles many subjects which young people in London encounter every day such as abortion, divorce, crime, drugs and even homosexuality (in a rather raunchy lesbian sex scene). The score helps Clarke put across his views on society as much like in Adulthood all of the songs are by contemporary R'n'B artists that perspective audience members will know and be able to connect to.
After watching this I have to say that Clarke is become more defined in his film-making and script-writing abilities with each film he makes and the auteuristic qualities he brings to a film particularly in the editing; I just wish that one time he could hire some decent actors.
7/10
The same snappy editing seen in Adulthood is once again present and the use of quick cuts to disorientate and confuse the audience is once again put to effective use in this intriguing and very well told story.
The film is the type of film that I do not expect the mass public to like and pay to see, it is anti-main stream and proud. The narrative shows three days in the life of each of the four main girls as they each go about their business, it follows one girl at a time before rewinding and following a different girl, each time more being revealed about the characters and the situation.
The film has little real plot as it is more of a character study of women (and crime) in Britain and has no real ending with a sort of cliff hanger that fails. A majority of the acting is also quite poor as the leads fail to give their characters the depth needed, the stand out performers are Ophelia Lovibond as the shy and troubled Shannon, and Noel Clarke in his role as the main villain.
However despite all this it is still a film that I thoroughly enjoyed as Clark has once again written a script that captures drama and mixes it with comedy and has also used many techniques to give this film a very sleek finish and make it enjoyable to watch. I also enjoyed watching all the little cameos of famous people such as Ben Miller, Eve and Plan B.
So in general if you take this film as a film then it is a failure in terms of narrative and performance, but very well made. However if like Clarke's previous films you view it as a social study on Britain it is very effective as within the four story lines Clarke tackles many subjects which young people in London encounter every day such as abortion, divorce, crime, drugs and even homosexuality (in a rather raunchy lesbian sex scene). The score helps Clarke put across his views on society as much like in Adulthood all of the songs are by contemporary R'n'B artists that perspective audience members will know and be able to connect to.
After watching this I have to say that Clarke is become more defined in his film-making and script-writing abilities with each film he makes and the auteuristic qualities he brings to a film particularly in the editing; I just wish that one time he could hire some decent actors.
7/10