GBH   Starring: Nick Nevern, Kellie Shirley, Jenna Harrison, Con O'Neill and Peter Barrett Revolver Entertainment RRP: £19.99 REVD3050 Certificate: 18 Available 01 October 2012

In the run up to the London riots Damien is walking the razor edge between his job as a copper and his past as a football hooligan, a past he hasn’t been able to quite let go of. Where his present and past collide, Damien finds his loyalties torn, providing small favours for criminal associates...

GBH (2012 - 1 hr, 20 min, 15 sec) is an independent film from director Simon Phillips, from a script by James Crow. The movie stars Nick Nevern, Kellie Shirley, Jenna Harrison and Con O'Neill.

There seems to have been an explosion of small independent films dealing with violence and violent subcultures. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of films produced means that it is often difficult to find movies that actually have something to say. In the case of GBH, where you may think that you’re going to see a film about the London riots, what you get is a story exploring one man’s attempt to change his life, as Damien’s friend asks him: "Whose side are you on?"

In a life with such distinct sides it is difficult to imagine change and when Damien (Nick Nevern) gets a job as a copper he finds that his old friends expect him to bend the law in their favour and his new colleagues treat him with suspicion.

The film shifts forward in steps of time as we see Damien, not so reconstructed; trying his best to be a good copper, although as Damien is as much a part of his culture the transition is problematic. He’s misogynistic, violent, struggling with the rejection from his father, who is still in prison. As a character Damien isn’t a pleasant person, so it’s difficult to feel empathy with his situation, you're pretty sure about half way through the film that it can only end in one of two ways: either Damien makes the break from his past friends and so becomes just another copper to attack, or he falls from grace and ends up disgraced, ejected from the force.

The film provides a cross section of shootings, bullying, disenfranchisement and mindless hooliganism, the whole of which builds to the film's climatic end.

It’s a good script, even if there is an over reliance on the ‘F’ word to provide a little vocal tension, understandable given the characters in the film, and the cast portray their characters with strong performances and conviction. For an independent film, they have been lucky to get the services of respected actor Steven Berkoff, who also must have seen something in the script.

The penultimate scene of the film is unexpected, troubling and dramatic, though thankfully shot in a way which is more suggestive of what is happening, rather than on any visceral gratuitous level. The ending of the film and Damien’s final choice is, in his world, inevitable.

The film is worth a look, if you get past the violence, the movie has something which is quite tragic to say about the ability for some people to change.

The disc has no extras, which is a shame. A director’s commentary would have been informative. Audio is English, either 2.0 stereo or 5.1 surround, both are fine as the type of action in the film doesn’t really lend itself to too many separate channels.

6

Charles Packer