Adulthood (2008 film)

Last updated

Adulthood
Adulthood poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Noel Clarke
Written byNoel Clarke
Produced byAmir Madani
StarringNoel Clarke
Scarlett Alice Johnson
Adam Deacon
Jacob Anderson
Femi Oyeniran
Red Madrell
Ben Drew
Nathan Constance
Danny Dyer
Cinematography Brian Tufano
Edited byTom Hemmings
Music byChad Hobson
Production
companies
Cipher Films
Limelight
Unstoppable Entertainment
Distributed by Pathé
Release date
  • 20 June 2008 (2008-06-20)
Running time
95 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Adulthood (stylised as AdULTHOOD) is a 2008 British teen crime drama film written and directed by Noel Clarke. The second installment in the Hood Trilogy , it is a sequel to 2006's Kidulthood and stars Clarke, Adam Deacon, Scarlett Alice Johnson, Femi Oyeniran, Red Madrell, Jacob Anderson, Ben "Plan B" Drew, Nathan Constance, Cornell John and Danny Dyer. In the film, Sam (Clarke) tries to change his life following a six-year prison sentence for killing Trife but a new gang led by Jay (Deacon) intend to avenge Trife by killing Sam.

Contents

Plans for a sequel came around following the success of Kidulthood. Menhaj Huda, who directed the first film, turned down the opportunity to direct Adulthood, which prompted the studio to hire Clarke, in his directorial debut, to helm the film. Production began in November 2007 in West London.

Adulthood had its world premiere at Leicester Square on 17 June 2008 and was released three days later. The film received generally positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing £1,203,319 during its UK opening weekend, [2] [3] with an overall gross of £6 million, becoming the second-highest grossing British film of 2008. [4]

At the 62nd British Academy Film Awards in 2009, Clarke won the BAFTA Rising Star Award, making him the first black person to accept the award. After starring in the film, Adam Deacon decided to write and star in his own urban film, Anuvahood . The final film of the trilogy, Brotherhood , also by Clarke, was released in 2016.

Plot

Six years after being jailed for killing Trevor "Trife" Hector, Sam Peel is released from prison. During the course of the film, it is revealed that Sam, haunted by his crime has changed dramatically and has learnt from his mistakes. Visiting Trife's grave at Oak Park cemetery, Sam is attacked by Trife's cousin, Jehvon, who is seeking revenge on Sam for killing Trife. Sam is later able to gain control of the fight and beats him into submission. Jehvon informs him that he will not survive the day, as many people want him dead – and will stop at nothing, not even harming his family.

Sam, troubled by these claims, goes to his house and breaks in. No one is home, so Sam bandages up his wound. He then has a flashback to his prison days which reveals he helped a high ranking prison mate escape an attack from Trife's uncle, Curtis. Sam then goes into a room, goes through the drawers and picks up a gun which he discards, then leaves. As Sam later visits Claire and asks for information regarding his mother, he says he won't hurt her, but Claire says she has not seen his mother in over a year, and also tells him that Mooney is at university. Then Claire's boyfriend Hayden arrives, and attacks Sam when he realises who he is, berating him for all the emotional damage he caused Claire six years ago.

Sam then visits Moony and asks for information regarding anyone who might hurt his family. He says he has changed, however Moony reveals that he should be wary of Jay as he has changed for the worse. He also tells him that Sam inspired him to study law, so he can make sure people like him do not go free in 6 years. Sam then speaks to Becky's cousin Lexi, hoping that she might have some information.

The scene then shifts to Omen, with Dabs and Henry robbing a car in broad daylight. They take what they have stolen to Ike's house to sell and are given money by Ike, who leaves to sort out some business. It is revealed that his partner is Andreas, whose face was cut in the first film by Trife. Ike and Andreas concur that he got what he deserved, as he tested Curtis's patience and suffered the consequences. Ike burns his customer's arm and beats him up to teach him a lesson for making money behind his back on his gear.

Jay is later seen selling drugs to customers. When a rich man tests him, Jay robs him and his fiancée and humiliates him. He receives a call from Jehvon informing him that Sam is out, so he releases the couple. He seeks help from Ike, who gives him a gun. Then Andreas suggests hiring some of the teenagers to kill Sam. Dabs is called into the room and eventually agrees to do it for £6,000. Jay makes it clear that the others must not see Sam's face when the murder happens. Dabs tells Henry about the plan. Not willing to kill a man, Henry tells Dabs not to go through with it. A scuffle happens and Dabs hits Henry over the head with a brick. Later, Dabs and Blammy meet Omen and tell him about the job. Omen agrees after Dabs lies that Sam was the one who hurt Henry.

Sam and Lexi meet and Sam learns that she was gang raped years ago, which led her into drug addiction because as they are having sex she pushes him away. As he gets up she sees various scars on his back and it is revealed they were given to him by Curtis as revenge for Trife's death. Jay meets with Moony and his girlfriend Kayla in a café and tells Robert that he could have prevented Trife's death. Jay tries to convince Robert to help him track down Sam, but Robert tells Jay that he needs to move on.

Later, the teenage hit-men see Sam walking through a park and tackle him to the ground. With Sam's face to the floor, Dabs tells Omen to stab him, but Omen insists on seeing his face first. It is then revealed that Omen is Sam's brother, Royston. He refuses to kill his own brother, and realises that Dabs knew who it was. Sam is about to kill Dabs, but has a flashback to the murder and relents, he instead knocks Dabs unconscious and leaves with the two teenagers.

Meanwhile, Jay arrives at Lexi's flat, revealing himself as her dealer; Lexi was setting up Sam by bringing him back to her flat. Sam phones the man he spoke to outside the prison and asks for the favour the man promised him earlier in the film. Sam walks down a street and apologetically mugs a couple at gunpoint; he uses the stolen phone to call the police about an armed robbery, telling them the criminal is going into the house he is about to enter. Using the items he stole, he goes into Ike's house pretending to want to sell them. Meanwhile, Sam's contact phones Curtis and tells him where Sam is. While Sam is holding them all at gun point, the armed police show up and arrest Ike, Andreas, and Curtis, but Sam escapes.

On the way home, Sam is attacked by Jay. Jay holds him at gunpoint and a fight ensues. Sam realises that Jay is just like he was six years ago and cannot bring himself to commit murder. Safe in the knowledge that Jay is not really dangerous, an injured Sam leaves the fight.

Wandering aimlessly, Sam finds that Lexi has left a message on his phone asking him to spend time with her, and manages to make his way to her flat, and the two smile as he enters.

Cast

Soundtrack

Adulthood: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
various artists
Released30 June 2008 (2008-06-30)
Genre Grime
Label Altered Ego

Adulthood: Music from the Motion Picture was released on 30 June 2008 by Altered Ego.

  1. "Over Here" (Maniac & Bashy featuring Ghetts & J2K)
  2. "End in the Streets" (Plan B)
  3. "F Ur Ex" (Sway)
  4. "My Dunks" (The Clik Clik)
  5. "Paranoid" (Dizzee Rascal)
  6. "Kids of the Underground" (Scarlett & Viva featuring The Audio Bullys)
  7. "Reppin' London" (Sincere featuring D Double E & Scorcher)
  8. "Follow" (Tinchy Stryder)
  9. "Running for Life" (Eliza Doolittle)
  10. "On It 08" (Adam Deacon featuring Plan B, Snakeyman, Blazay & Alphadecious)
  11. "Bars of Truth" (No Lay)
  12. "Who Are You" (Chipmunk)
  13. "Look What You've Done" (Lethal Bizzle featuring Kate Nash)
  14. "Kids" (Goldie Locks)
  15. "Grime Kid" (Wiley)
  16. "I Need Love" (Plan B featuring Jacob Anderson)
  17. "Run Dry" (Kerry-Anne Leatham)
  18. "Reach" (Skrein)
  19. "Adamhood" (Adam Deacon)
  20. "Arms Open Wide" (Shystie)
  21. "Kidulthood to Adulthood" (Maniac & Bashy)

Awards and nominations

Sequel

A sequel called Brotherhood was released on 29 August 2016.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noel Clarke</span> English actor and filmmaker (born 1975)

Noel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, producer, screenwriter, and director. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in Doctor Who (2005–2010), he received critical acclaim for writing, directing, and starring as Sam Peel in the films Kidulthood (2006); Adulthood (2008); and Brotherhood (2016) and for starring in, co-creating, and writing Bulletproof (2018–2021), which all depicted black working-class characters in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Mitchell</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy. Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson, who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. Phil and his brother Grant became popularly known as the Mitchell brothers in the British media, with Phil initially portrayed as the more level-headed of the two thugs. Storylines featuring the Mitchell family dominated the soap opera throughout the 1990s, with Phil serving as one of the show's central characters and protagonists since the 1990s. McFadden temporarily left the series in late 2003, then returned in April 2005 for a brief appearance before making a permanent return in October 2005, and has now overtaken Dot Cotton as the second-longest-serving character in EastEnders, surpassed only by original character Ian Beale. A teenage version of Phil, played by Daniel Delaney, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Windsor</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Kelly Windsor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Adele Silva. The character first appeared on 10 August 1993. Silva portrayed her from August 1993 until November 2000. In February 2005, it was announced that Silva would be reprising her role and she returned in June 2005. Silva left the soap once again in October 2007, and in November 2010, it was announced that Silva would be returning to Emmerdale in February 2011. Silva reprised the role for a period of three months and left again in May 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plan B (musician)</span> British musician and actor

Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew, better known by his stage name Plan B, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and filmmaker. He first emerged as a rapper, releasing his debut album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, in 2006. His second studio album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks (2010), was a soul and R&B album, and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. He has also collaborated with other artists such as Chase & Status, most notably on the 2009 top ten single "End Credits".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl King</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Carl Thomas King is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Tom Lister. The character and casting were announced in January 2004 when it was announced that producers were bringing "four new single 'hunks'" into the show, one of them being Carl. Lister made his first appearance on the show on 6 February 2004. Throughout the course of his story arc, Carl establishes a relationship with Chas Dingle – which contributes to his storylines that include the pair having an ill-fated wedding after Chas exposes Carl's affair with her best friend Eve Jenson. During his time on the show, Carl has accidentally caused the death of local postman Paul Marsden ; killed his own father Tom in the events surrounding the Who Killed Tom King? storyline, which he ultimately confessed to his brothers Jimmy and Matthew on the show's 500th village anniversary episode – after the trio were acquitted for their father's murder; formed a romance with DCI Grace Barraclough, the policewoman investigating his father's murder, that culminated with her being killed in a hit and run – just as she prepared to take Carl into custody after he admitted to killing his father; sparked a business conflict with Matthew that concluded with the latter's death, after Carl ruined Matthew's ill-fated wedding to his business partner Anna De Souza by exposing his involvement behind the death of her father Donald ; developed a feud with Chas' niece Debbie upon clashing with her parents, Cain and Charity, respectively; embarked on a failed marriage with Lexi Nicholls ; and became archenemies with Debbie's ex-boyfriend Cameron Murray after discovering his affair with Chas and subsequently blackmailing the pair in repaying him the £30,000 that Chas previously swindled from his bank account.

<i>Kidulthood</i> 2006 film directed by Menhaj Huda

Kidulthood is a 2006 British teen crime drama film directed by Menhaj Huda and written by Noel Clarke, who appeared in the film alongside Aml Ameen, Red Madrell, Adam Deacon, Jaime Winstone, Femi Oyeniran, Madeleine Fairley, Kate Ajike, Cornell John, Kate Magowan, Pierre Mascolo, Rafe Spall and Nicholas Hoult. It follows the lives of several teenagers in the West London area Ladbroke Grove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Deacon</span> British actor (born 1983)

Adam Steven Deacon is an English actor. He is known for his lead role in the films Kidulthood, sequel Adulthood and for his directorial debut, Anuvahood.

<i>Bullet Boy</i> 2004 British film by Saul Dibb

Bullet Boy is a 2004 British crime drama film directed by Saul Dibb, written by Saul Dibb and Catherine Johnson, and starring Ashley Walters. The film's original music was composed and performed by Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, who released it as an album. The film is about a family in crime-ridden Hackney, East London, the eldest son's involvement in gun crime, and the effects of this on his younger brother.

Femi Oyeniran is a Nigerian-British actor and director who started his career in the cult classic Kidulthood, playing the role of "Moony" in 2006. It was followed by the 2008 sequel Adulthood. His first feature film as a director "It's A Lot" was released theatrically by Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment in 2013. Oyeniran sold his second movie The Intent to Netflix for a worldwide release; it appeared on the platform on 15 May 2017. The film had already peaked at number 3 on the iTunes Movie Chart and opened to sold out cinemas. It was funded, shot and distributed completely independently.

<i>West 10 LDN</i> British TV series or programme

West 10 LDN was a one-off BBC Three youth drama, written and created by Noel Clarke and directed by Menhaj Huda, first broadcast on 10 March 2008. The screenplay was based on the novel Society Within, a short story collection by Courttia Newland. The film was the second collaboration between Clarke and Huda, following their work on Kidulthood, which gave Huda the idea for a television series based upon a similar format. West 10 LDN is set entirely in the fictional Greenside council housing estate in West London, which in reality, is the White City Estate. Ashley Madekwe and Duane Henry served as lead actors for the project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menhaj Huda</span> Bangladesh-born British film and television director and film producer

Menhaj Huda is a Bangladesh-born British film and television director and producer best known for the film Kidulthood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bashy</span> British rapper and actor (born 1985)

Ashley Thomas, also known by his stage name Bashy, is a British actor and rapper.

<i>4.3.2.1.</i> 2010 film by Noel Clarke

4.3.2.1. is a 2010 British crime thriller film directed by Noel Clarke and Mark Davis, written by Clarke and starring Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, Ophelia Lovibond, Shanika-Warren Markland, Mandy Patinkin, Helen McCrory, Kevin Smith, Susannah Fielding, Camille Coduri and Clarke. 4.3.2.1. follows four spirited young women who get caught up with a diamond theft heist.

<i>Anuvahood</i> 2011 British urban comedy film directed by Adam Deacon

Anuvahood is a 2011 British urban comedy film directed by Adam Deacon, who also plays the film's lead character. It also stars Paul Kaye, Wil Johnson, Ollie Barbieri, Femi Oyeniran, Jocelyn Jee Esien, and Ashley Walters. Critics of the film received it negatively, although it had a strong box-office opening. The film released worldwide on 18 March 2011.

Cornell Salmonn John is a British actor who has appeared in various film and television productions since 1999. He is most renowned for his role as Trife's uncle, Curtis, in the films Kidulthood (2006), Adulthood (2008) and Brotherhood in addition to later starring in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Sam James, during 2013. He is also known for having originated the role of Mufasa in the West End production of the musical The Lion King.

<i>Brotherhood</i> (2016 film) 2017 film

Brotherhood is a 2016 British crime drama film written, produced and directed by Noel Clarke. It is the sequel to 2006's Kidulthood and 2008's Adulthood, and is the third and final instalment of The Hood Trilogy. It stars Clarke, Jason Maza, Arnold Oceng, Stormzy, Cornell John, David Ajala, Shanika Warren-Markland and Adjoa Andoh. Brotherhood follows Sam (Clarke), now a family man of two children, being driven back to his criminal lifestyle.

The Hood Trilogy is a series of British drama films. The film series began in 2006 with Kidulthood, which was followed by the sequels Adulthood and Brotherhood. The series focuses on the lives of several teenagers in the Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road area of inner West London. The film series has earned over £7 million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Somers</span> Fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours

Andrea Somers is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Madeleine West. West had previously played the role of Dee Bliss, who disappeared after a car crash into the ocean after marrying Toadie Rebecchi. West originally reported that she was returning to Neighbours as Dee Bliss, but it was later revealed she was playing the conniving Andrea Somers, who comes to Erinsborough to scam Toadie by pretending to be Dee. West stated that returning to the sets was a homecoming for her and she was thrilled to be invited back to the cast. Andrea made her first appearance on 20 January 2017 and her first stint ended on 23 March. Andrea is initially credited as Dee Bliss and is depicted as calm, polite and charismatic. As her identity of Andrea Somers is revealed, her character increasingly becomes impatient, insecure, restless and easily agitated.

Brian Richard TufanoBSC was an English cinematographer, best known for his work on the films of Danny Boyle and Menhaj Huda. Tufano was admitted to the British Society of Cinematographers and won the 2001 BAFTA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film and Television. His most well-known works include Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary and Billy Elliot.

References

  1. "Adulthood".
  2. "Review: Adulthood". Evening Gazette . Gazette Media Company. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  3. MacNab, Geoffrey (27 June 2008). "Hit makers: The real stars of British film". The Independent . Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  4. "Noel Clarke". www.digitalspy.co.uk. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2016.