Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Bullet Boy

Play trailer Poster for Bullet Boy R 2004 1h 29m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 4 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
An inner-city London youth, Ricky (Ashley Walters) has served prison time for a stabbing but is trying to turn his life around. Ricky's hopes for escaping the brutality of his neighborhood quickly diminish, however, when he and his friend, Wisdom (Leon Black), get into a minor incident on the street that escalates into a feud with another young man. When Wisdom fuels the conflict, the situation gets increasingly dire, and soon further violence seems unavoidable.

Critics Reviews

View All (4) Critics Reviews
Empire Magazine Rated: 3/5 Apr 1, 2006 Full Review Alistair Lawrence Common Sense Media While the script has a tendency to talk in circles at times, Walters' screen presence brings continuity and calm, alongside an equally grounded performance from British screen veteran Clare Perkins, despite her being cast as little more than Ricky. Jul 22, 2024 Full Review Peter Calder New Zealand Herald The film certainly has a chillingly predictable arc -- and there's something slightly glib about the upbeat ending -- but it's a very accomplished debut by a film-maker who knows what suspense may be found in the mundane. Rated: 4/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Matthew Turner ViewLondon Transcends its familiar material thanks to impressive performances and assured direction that marks Dibb out as a talent to watch Rated: 3/5 Jun 18, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (118) audience reviews
Audience Member A gritty Urban Drama, where environment and reactions depict the plot. Walters is has always been a pretty natural Actor and the film has a realistic feel with harsh reality Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Having not watched many crime/ gangster films, I perhaps don't have much to compare 'bullet boy' to, however one thing that I felt was lacking was a real sense of tension. This led to the ultimate conclusion being somewhat underwhelming, yet unexpected. Some nice scenes did exist; particularly the hide and seek sequence, although I would have liked more to complement what was potentially an exciting storyline. Underlying themes and issues of morality are present, although a less explicit representation of them would have been welcome. Impressive and believable acting considerably save this tale, so much so that it could be a recreational documentary or something. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Rather predictable and contrived. No good performance in my opinion but I like the genre enough to have watched it. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review gareth d Gritty urban London drama, makes me glad I got out of the council estates. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member gota rate it cos its shot inda hood plus my cusins r in it Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Grim urban tale about two brothers caught in a cycle of violence. Saul Dibb's calm direction and some strong, natural performances make this a realistic portrayal innit. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Bullet Boy

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All Cast and Crew

Saul Dibb

Director

Ashley Walters

Ricky

Luke Fraser

Curtis

Clare Perkins

Beverley

Leon Black

Wisdom

Saul Dibb

Writer
View All Bullet Boy photos

Bullet Boy

Bullet Boy (2004) Bullet Boy (2004) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis An inner-city London youth, Ricky (Ashley Walters) has served prison time for a stabbing but is trying to turn his life around. Ricky's hopes for escaping the brutality of his neighborhood quickly diminish, however, when he and his friend, Wisdom (Leon Black), get into a minor incident on the street that escalates into a feud with another young man. When Wisdom fuels the conflict, the situation gets increasingly dire, and soon further violence seems unavoidable.
Director
Saul Dibb
Producer
Ruth Caleb, Marc Boothe
Screenwriter
Saul Dibb, Catherine R. Johnson
Production Co
UK Film Council, BBC Films
Rating
R (Violence|A Strong Sex Scene|Some Drug Use|Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 26, 2020
Runtime
1h 29m