Film Reviews

Shifty

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Daniel Mays
• Details: UK / 86mins (15A)

After being away for 4 years for reasons debut director Creevy keeps the audience in the dark until later, Chris (Mays) returns home for a party. He turns up at the front door of former best mate Shifty (Ahmed), a small time drug dealer. As Shifty takes Chris on his rounds and they catch up on old times, another drug dealer in the shape of Jason Flemyng's Glen is determined to get Shifty out of the way once and for all.

Shot under the Microwave initiative - a small budget of £100,000 - Shifty's obvious budget constraints fail to hinder its narrative. A downbeat, depressing drama, Shifty takes place in the world of Shane Meadows - small town, small story, big message. "No one gives a f**k about drugs anymore," says Shifty, voicing what Creevy believes that the drug war was won and the victors are the dealers.

For a debutant Creevy boasts the subtlety of an experienced filmmaker: one particular scene sees Chris and Shifty enjoy a swing-roundabout on a playground; Chris is the first to jump off, leaving Shifty to spin on his own. This scene encapsulates the film - Chris has finished playing the kid, while Shifty continues to spiral out of control. Shifty might be the 'hero' of the story in the narrative sense but Creevy doesn't hesitate in showing the destruction that Shifty, and his ilk, leaves in his wake: one of Shifty's clients - builder Trev (Simpson) - is dragged deeper into addiction and his actions have serious repercussions for his family.

Tough going at times, the light back-and-forth between the main characters saves Shifty from becoming too overwrought, and Mays and Ahmed are flawless in the roles.

Review by Gavin Burke