Kevin, a gormless Stratford teenager, is already in trouble with his long-suffering sister for pawning a much-loved family clock when he falls foul of predatory small-time crook ‘Ninja Nigel’. Kev needs cash fast, and the softest target for robbery is the tumbledown home of lonely old codger Philip. First-time writer-director Jules Bishop looks to be setting himself up for more predictable hand-wringing over the disaffected young people, but decides to reinvent the urban youth flick instead – delivering a sweet-natured character study that’s altogether charming, if not exactly hard-edged.
Bishop’s writing is canny, while veteran Phil Davis and newcomer Theo Barklem-Biggs are both top-notch, digging out nuggety truths without being too ingratiatingly cute. Elsewhere, the tone isn’t quite so assured; Warren Brown’s clownish villain is clearly in another movie. But this micro-budget offering from Film London’s Microwave scheme flags up Bishop as a talent to watch, and Barklem-Biggs – who has the soulful presence of a great silent-era comedian – is a proper find.