SHANK

UK, 2010, 90 minutes, Colour.
Kedar Williams- Stirling, Adam Deacon, Ashley Thomas, Michael Socha, Kaya Scodelario, Colin Salmon, Robbie Gee.
Directed by Mo Ali.


Shank, on the London streets and with the gangs, means a knife cut. The London streets shown here are five years ahead, in 2015. And a dismal and dingy place London is. Food is scarce and gangs look for food supplies and loot them and use them for power and control.

The avowed intention of the film-makers is to show the ugliness of street violence and to take a stand against it. One of the difficulties of this kind of film is how much violence to portray to make the anti-violence stance. And there is some violence here – although it shows it as vicious and repugnant.

It is not as if this kind of story has not been told before, but each generation is entitled to offer their interpretation. So, while there is nothing new apart from the future setting and the food issue, the film is made with quite some professional craft. It looks good, is well acted. It is 2010 contribution to the arguments about weapons, gangs and violence in the UK, especially in London.

1. The title, weapon, violence?

2. London, 2015, futuristic perspective, the streets, anarchy, government? Atmosphere? The musical score?

3. Society, collapse, government, economy? Images of collapse? Pessimism?

4. Audience response, repelled by the characters and violence, language, insight into collapsed society?

5. A focus on gangs, their age, The Paper Chaserz, Soldiers, male-oriented, teenagers, the leadership, the characters, the range of names? Violence, The Paper Chaserz and nonviolence, non-killing? The clashes and fights? Macho attitudes? Sexual harassment?

6. Junior as the focus, his age, voice-over, comments, relationship with his brother, Rager, characters, belonging to the gang, the code of not killing, the decision to rob the van, the various members, the execution?

7. The contrast with Soldiers, violence, bloodthirsty, the leader and his control, the theft, the violent clashes?

8. Junior, cornered, treatment by the gang, Rager and his beating the Soldiers? Tugz, the shank, stabbing Rager?

9. Junior, the gang, continuing, vengeance, stealing the BMX?

10. Exploitation or Insight?