Messages and Values in the opening scenes of Harry Brown

Message: Loneliness of old age.
For example: When Harry Brown wakes up he turns round to his wife's pillow and touches it. He then looks at the photograph of his daughter who died. Once he gets up and gets ready, he has his breakfast and sits staring at the chair his wife would be sitting on.

Message: Criminality spiralling out of control.

Message: Lack of respect. 

Message: Appearance and reality. 

Value: Importance of human life (difference).

Bullet Boy Questions - Show me task

An example of how gun crime is represented as an important social issue is in Rio and Curtis' reaction to finding a gun, it is treated like finding a toy. This highlights how normal gun crime is in their everyday life. It also shows the availability of guns and how guns can be found almost anywhere.

Gender representations in Bullet Boy

Beverley:

• Strong mother of Ricky and Curtis
• Single parent 
• Selfless
• Works hard despite the struggles of living in an environment where there is a lack of ambition. 
• Cares about what is best for her children. 
• Example: She kicks Ricky, her older son, out of the house to give Curtis, her younger son, a better chance at life. 

Shea:

• Cares about Ricky and wants him to stay out of crime 
• Strong character
• In the end she can't cope and has lost patience with Ricky's involvement in crime. 
• Example: Towards the end of the film she breaks down crying and shows her frustration as she doesn't let him in her house because she has had enough of him and his involvement in crime. 

Ricky:

• Highly involved in crime
• Ex convict 
• Loyal to his friend Wisdom 
• Wants to get away from crime but he can't. 
• Reluctant to carry on participating in crime.
• Example: Talks to Shea, they plan to get away together so they can have a new start in life without being involved in crime. 

Wisdom: 

• Depends on crime subconsciously. 
• Struggles to escape from the life of crime.
• Doesn't know anything else but crime.
• Example: In the garage scene Ricky tells Wisdom he needs to get away, as they are in trouble with Godfrey. However, Wisdom doesn't realise the other options he has, he just stays in crime and thinks there is no way out.  

Themes and issues in The Krays, Bulletboy and Harry Brown

The Krays

•       Organised crime

•       Gun culture

•       A life of crime (i.e. crime as a profession)

•       Honour among villains

•       Loyalty and brotherhood

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Failure of law and the police

•       Appearance and reality

Bullet Boy

•       Poverty and deprivation

•       Gang crime

•       Gun culture

•       A life of crime (i.e. falling unwillingly into crime)

•       Desire to break away from criminal influences

•       Access to guns, especially for youngsters

•       Youth, the pressures on youth and a lack of opportunity, especially for black working class youth

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Innocent victims

•       Breakdown of the family

•       Strong female characters

•       Failure of the justice system

•       Under-privilege/disadvantage

Harry Brown

•       Drug abuse

•       Gang crime

•       Gun culture

•       Housing estates and the failure of social housing

•       Age (old age in particular)

•       Honour among criminals (how does this compare to The Krays?)

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Fractured British Society

•       The professionalism of the police

•       Strong female characters

•       Innocent victims

•       Breakdown of the family

•       Ineffective law enforcement and the failure of society to hold it to account

•       Sexual abuse

Bullet Boy Characters

Character: Ricky (Ashley Walters)
Character details: Main character.
Relationship with crime: At the beginning of the film he is in prison, he is involved with crime throughout the film but wants to get away from it, he states how he wants to turn his life around and get away from crime but in the end he doesn't have a chance to.

Character: Curtis (Luke Fraser)
Character details: Rickys little brother.
Relationship with crime: Largely involved in crime but doesn't intend on being, he shoots his friend by accident when he finds the gun stored in his house.

Character: Wisdom (Leon Black)
Character details: Rickys bestfriend.
Relationship with crime: Got differences to be solved against Godfrey and his gang. This results in him being shot.

Character: Rio (Rio Tison)
Character details: Curtis' friend.
Relationship with crime: Victim of accidental crime, shot by his friend Curtis when playing around with a gun.

Character: Beverley (Clare Perkins)
Character details: Mother of Ricky and Curtis.
Relationship with crime: Has to witness both of her sons somehow involved in crime although this is the last thing she wants for them. Has to cope with one of her sons being a victim of crime at the end of the film when he gets shot by Godfrey and his gang.

Character: Shea (Sharea Samuels)
Character details: Ricky's girlfriend.
Relationship with crime: Not directly involved with crime yet has to watch her boyfriend be involved in crime which causes her to be unstable.

Character: Godfrey (Clark Lawson)
Character details: Gang member.
Relationship with crime: Greatly involved with gun crime, shoots Ricky and Wisdom within the film.

Bullet Boy Questions

To which character does the title refer? 

The title could refer to any of the four characters: Ricky, Wisdom, Curtis or Rio. Firstly, the 'Bullet Boy' could be Wisdom as the gun originally belonged to him before Ricky has possession of it, Wisdom also gets shot during the film which is yet another reason why the title 'Bullet Boy' may refer to him. However, the title could also refer to Ricky as he brings the gun into his family home and is the reason why the following events occur. On the other hand, the title could refer to Curtis as he is the one who gets hold of the gun which is hidden in his house and shoots, Rio, his friend. This leads to yet another idea that Rio could in fact be the 'Bullet Boy' as he is the character which takes a bullet when he is accidentally shot by his friend.

What are the main messages, values and social issues in the film? 

One of the main social issues in the film is the consistent theme of gun crime. Throughout the film most of the characters come into a problem involving a gun. For example: Curtis shoots Rio, Wisdom and Ricky both die due to being shot, Beverley has to cope with her younger son being involved in gun crime at a young age. Gun crime is the biggest social issue that effects the most people within the film.

A main value in Bullet Boy is loyalty. This is shown through Ricky and Wisdoms friendship. Throughout the film hints are made to suggest that Wisdom once saved Rickys life. So now that Wisdom has got into trouble with Godfrey, Ricky stays loyal to him and becomes involved even though he is trying his best to turn his life around and not be involved with crime.

One of the main messages in the film is that black youths are associated with high incidences of social deprivation and criminal activity. This is shown through the lack of morals that the black youths have in the film and the amount of crime, particularly gun crime, that they are involved in.

How are the people and places represented in the film? 

Consider: 

-Whether the film offers a realistic view of London. How this representation differs from other common representations of London. 

-How the characters challenge and fulfill stereotypes. 
London is commonly represented as a place of tourism, drawing in people from around the world to visit the famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, The Tower of  London and The Big Ben. Also for the high streets and shopping centres. From this aspect, London is represented in a positive light. However, Bullet Boy offers a more negative yet realistic representation of what life is actually like in London. The film is set in North East London in an area which can be referred to as the 'murder mile'. This setting and the estate which Ricky lives on helps to give a representation of the high number of incidents which occur in modern day London, mostly involving guns. Another way in which London is represented realistically in the film is through the use of camerawork. The film is shot in a Super 16 film format which adds to the realism by making it look more like a documentary rather than a film.

Within Bullet Boy, Ricky both challenges and reinforces the stereotype of black youths. He reinforces the stereotype as he is involved in crime, handles a gun and has been in prison. However, throughout the film it focuses upon Ricky and his desire to change his life around and build a new start for himself which challenges the stereotype. Ricky's mum, Beverley, challenges the stereotype of black people because even though she is a working class mother she makes sure that she has time for her children and only does what is best for them and their futures. Within the film Curtis reinforces the general stereotype of black youths as he handles a gun at a young age and although it is accidental, he commits a crime.