ENGLAND: Johnny Was. 2005

Director: Mark Hammond
Stars: Patrick Bergin, Roger Daltrey, Vinnie Jones, Samantha Mumba, Eriq La Salle.
Release date: ???
Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller
Length: 90 min

First thing I see is Adrian Sherwood's name & then Vinnie Jones & Eric LaSalle. Then my mind starts thinking it'll be a film about conflicts between yardies & London hardmen set to a dub soundtrack. I wasn't far off. The early trailer looked a bit so so & failed to convey anything of magnitude, but the new one looks more impressive & cohesive. Let's hope it is a gritty film, for there doesn't seem to have been many tough films from the UK recently.

Synopsis
Johnny (Vinnie Jones), trying to escape a violent past in Ireland, hides out in Brixton, London, in the world’s least-safe safe house, sandwiched between a drug den run by a Jamaican gangster (Eriq La Salle) and a pirate radio station belonging to a Rasta DJ (Lennox Lewis). When Johnny’s former comrade (Patrick Bergin) escapes from Brixton Prison determined to derail the Irish peace process, Johnny faces being dragged back into violence and away from his new love (Samantha Mumba). Johnny’s actions ignite a simmering war on two fronts with his drug-dealing neighbour and his former boss Jimmy (Roger Daltrey). Johnny faces questions of race, morality, loyalty – and ultimately survival - played out against a great reggae sound track from legendary DJ-producer Adrian Sherwood.

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