Life And Lyrics (DVD)

...could have his or her life snuffed out in an instant. There is a criminal element but their influence isn't all pervasive. However, it is absolutely clear what the outcome of the subplot they are involved in will be.

The director encourages naturalistic acting from his young cast and has fostered a real rapport between the various members of Danny's crew. You can easily believe they've been friends forever. Laxton has a keen eye for ...
...and also the amount of bravado engendered by hip-hop culture. Everyone is trying to front everyone else out, especially where the rap showdowns are concerned. You sense all these kids are striving for an LA lifestyle, but are stymied by their lack of cash; much like the director whose earthy style fits the rain-sodden streets of London and the low-rent cool of the various clubs and bars his players frequent. But it's the music that is most important ... more

Set on the streets of South London, two rival crews of MCs battle against each other for hip-hop supremacy. But things are complicated when DJ Danny falls in love with a girl from the other side. His friends question his loyalty and it looks like Danny will have to choose between his lifelong mates and his new girlfriend.

To be honest, when I went to watch this film, I was expecting something in the vein of Saul Dibb's "Bullet Boy". So I was pleasantly surprised to see director Richard Laxton take the British inner-city drama in a different direction. Sure the young people in this movie come from broken homes and are facing the problems of being young, black and broke in the capital. But the way they seek to pull themselves out of their circumstances is altogether less violent and more creative. That's not to say this is all sunshine and roses; Laxton still highlights the issues facing his protagonists. But his version of South London isn't as menacing or oppressive as that of Dibb. There isn't the constant threat of violence or the feeling that one of the characters could have his or her life snuffed out in an instant. There is a criminal element but their influence isn't all pervasive. However, it is absolutely clear what the outcome of the subplot they are involved in will be.

The director encourages naturalistic acting from his young cast and has fostered a real rapport between the various members of Danny's crew. You can easily believe they've been friends forever. Laxton has a keen eye for the bling/chav style favoured by the rappers and their mates and also the amount of bravado engendered by hip-hop culture. Everyone is trying to front everyone else out, especially where the rap showdowns are concerned. You sense all these kids are striving for an LA lifestyle, but are stymied by their lack of cash; much like the director whose earthy style fits the rain-sodden streets of London and the low-rent cool of the various clubs and bars his players frequent. But it's the music that is most important to the protagonists and the director reflects that passion, focussing on the intense concentration of the players as they practice their skills morning, noon and night. Danny lives in a council flat furnished with bread crates, but surrounded by his vinyl collection and keeping his decks centre stage, while using downtime at his record shop job to mix his own tracks. There is a certain predictability to events but it's easy to let that pass because the direction is so assured and Laxton clearly feels fore his characters. He doesn't over-sentimentalise issues and that makes it easier to empathise with Danny and Co's ambitions. He doesn't waste time either, keeping the film a punchy ninety minutes long.

The screenplay by Ken Williams marries the musical fanaticism and ambitions of "8 Mile" to the central love story of "Romeo and Juliet". And if you think you know exactly where the story's going as a result, you'll be dead right. It doesn't take a genius to plot the inevitable highs and lows of the underdog story. Meanwhile the romance angle is about as predictable as they come. Some of the subplots (including one about a lad looking for his biological mother) feel like soap opera off-cuts. But where Williams excels is in picking up on British cultural references and the speech patterns of urban youth. This is especially true of the rap showdowns, which are festivals of bitch-slapping playground jibes in rhyme. Where else are you likely to hear someone being cussed for remembering when the Spice Girls split up, or having their parentage questioned in rhyming couplets? The subject matter is always very British. I can hardly imagine an American film with the line "Let's got to Nando's to celebrate." And the dialogue is so naturalistic it sounds improvised and contains big dollops of patois that add extra authenticity. Aside from the formulaic storylines, there are some issues with character development. Danny is the only fully three-dimensional player in the whole film. Members of his crew are defined solely by the issues they represent (teenage mother, abandoned son, token white guy), while others are plot devices (the shady producer and his gangster associates). So it's hard to empathise with many of them. However, as Danny is the central focus, it just about works.

Ashley Walters proves a likeable lead as would-be DJ Danny. He's got enough charisma to hold the screen and continues to increase his acting chops. Though ambitious and flirtatious, he has enough nous to show a more insecure side that makes the character occasionally nervy. He's developing as an actor and continuing to provide positive black role models in film.

Love interest Carmen is played with confidence by Louise Rose. She looks the part; all polished sex appeal that shies away from being too tarty. She can also sing a bit, which helps in the plot device aspect of her character. She has good chemistry with Walters and can be overtly sexy when required whilst also remaining sensible and serious.

The rest of the players fit their roles well, presumably having been cast for their similarity to the roles. This means they are relaxed and naturalistic and seem to have real rapport with each other. There are plenty of familiar faces from TV (ranging from "The Bill" to "Hollyoaks"), including ex-Eastender Robbie Gee as Danny's boss Schooly and some really big personalities in the club scenes.

The soundtrack runs through the usual roll-call of urban music styles, including scratch, rap, hip-hop, R 'n' B, urban beats, dub and reggae. Though it's competently presented, it isn't high-gloss, over-produced ear candy. Much of it retains a raw edge, especially the raps from the competitions. That being said, the track Danny is working on throughout the film isn't as impressive as it might be.

"Life and Lyrics" takes "8 Mile" as a template but gives it a distinctly British flavour. It captures the passion Danny feels for his music but doesn't have a wide enough focus to really convince as a portrait of British inner-city youth culture. The characters aren't fleshed out enough and the storylines are a trifle hackneyed in places. But it is worth watching for the linguistic dexterity of the rap battles and to see how former So Solid crew member Ashley Walters is maturing as an actor.  

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