Reminiscent in places of the electrifying early works of Scorcese and Lucus (pre gangsters and Ewoks obviously), Shifty is a gripping and intense urban drama. It’s also the debut effort of promising filmmaker Eran Creevy who has taken a simple script and a very small amount of money and produced arguably the best British film of the year.

The sudden return home of his best friend sets in motion a chain of events that see Shiftys life quickly spiral out of control. Stalked by a customer desperate to score at all costs and with his family about to turn their back on him for good, Shifty must out-run and out-smart a rival drug dealer intent on setting him up. As his long time friend Chris, confronts the dark past he left behind him, Shifty is forced to face up to the violent future he’s heading fast towards.

The history of Shifty (Riz Ahmed) and Chris (Danny Mays) makes for a familiar yet warm central story. Other characters rotate around them, but it is their friendship and unspoken bond that keeps us interested. Both actors do a great job of conveying this, with Mays actually taking the main plaudits for his more subtle turn opposite the more showy Ahmed. Shifty has to be played this way, but it just makes him slightly less well formed as a character.

The support ranges from well known faces to newcomers but all serve the film and director well. Creevy has stuck to a well known formula in terms of the story but infused it with a British perspective which is thankfully devoid of all the cockney gangster nonsense we’ve grown tired of. The filmmaker knows the limits of his story and budget but has exceeded expectations when completing the film by focusing on what he is familiar with. The locations and dialogue ring true both between the young friends and the older associates and family members.

A great debut and welcome addition to any DVD collection.

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By: Cassam Looch