Wild Bill: Review By Jay.A.Ottley

When you watch a film, you sit in that comfy theatre chair, set to escape from the realities of the world and enjoy the story, glistened on the big screen before you. Dexter Fletcher and Danny King take it to the next level, with Dexter's directional debut that throws you into the gritty world of fatherhood and gangsters in East London, where the good ole me was born and raised. But Wild Bill takes you on an emotional rip-roaring ride of good ole and dark gritty underworld of London.

Fresh out on an 8 year stretch and on parole, Wild Bill Hayward (Charlie Creed Miles) returns back to the gritty streets of East London, upon returning home, trying not to fall back into bad habits and company, which throws him back home, from an 8 year disappearance from his two sons, Dean (Will Poulter) and Jimmy (Sammy Williams). Left as the parental guardian of his two sons, when social services theaten to come and take the boys away and who has no idea how to be a father, as well as a fair grudge of being abandoned by his oldest son. As the complications arise and bad habits and bad people come back to haunt him in the form of his old pals who work for top class gangster, Glen (Andy Serkis). But as the tension rises to a spectacle of a climax, can Wild Bill right his wrongdoings, protect his kids and choose whether he wants to be a good father or a free one?

Usually, with fairly low-budget films, either the plot or the acting suffers, but with Wild Bill fear nothing because nothing suffers, with an emotional intense character-driven story. The acting feels natural and the actors become their characters as if they are one with each other. Wild Bill's stars will not only present you with characters that you will emotionally connect with but characters that will fly off the screen and capture your heart, because you can relate to them on that level of realism.

While having the enjoyment of not only to enjoy the spectacle preview viewing at the 5th BFI Future Film Festival that was Wild Bill which in all honest I thought was going to be a western/cowboy film, but I was so wrong, but it does infuse some western elements to it. But we were also joined by the eccentric Director, Dexter Fletcher and Will Poulter, who plays Dean, the eldest son, as well as having a friend, Aaron Ishmael who starred in the film as Boz. Now one of the fascinating things I wanted to know about Wild Bill was precisely about how the actors got into their roles and how they prepared for them.

"I never grew up in a broken family, but my brother did, so that was my inspiration, drive and preparation for the role. I'm close to him and i would try to imagine how he felt, and I took that emotion with me and placed it within Dean" mentioned Will when asking him the question, as well as upon mentioning that myself was a victim of a fairly broken family, and that i felt in touch with his character, as if i was seeing myself on a screen. "Something like that makes me feel wonderful, inside, cause I've done my job right, and portrayed the character in right perspective, i wanted people that have been through the same as Dean to personally and emotionally relate to his character" After having a small cosy chat with Will which ended in smiles as i left with an honest comment that he looks perfect to play a Mitchell in Eastenders.

After i managed to catch up a good pal, and one of London's upcoming actors of the next generation, Aaron Ishmael, who play Boz, Jimmy dark friend, who also works for Andy Serkis's character. "Being on the set of Wild Bill, was a really great experience and working with the cast and crew. Everyday you would come on to the set, as if you were part of a really happy family and that you were doing something special. Playing Boz for me wasn't particularly difficult because I grew up in the same surroundings the character did so it was really easy to be able to relate to him in that respect. He's a very interesting character and it was great to play someone like that." In which needless to say Aaron does an amazing job, playing his character as does everyone else, except for one character, but that's needless to say it doesn't affect the viewing experience of Wild Bill, but the character does add in a load of laughs.

"Essentially its a father and son story." Shot out the enthusiastic Dexter, speaking on Wild Bill "and you have this character who is very conflicted, but he just wants to move on with his life, but it's that his old life is pulling him back in. But its also about the responsibility of being a father, so its essentially about one man's journey to finding out who he really is." Debut director, Dexter Fletcher directs Wild Bill with a full throttle force, while grasping the gangster type elements that the British film industry is so well known for and grounds and pounds it smoothly with this father and son story, that many people can relate to. Its a story visually directed about one man and the effects of his life and how that comes to haunt him and his attempt to do the rightful thing. Its not glamorised with needless plot threads and the storytelling is in full force and as emotionally dramatic as it could be. Every sequence is smoothly done and does a job within the film to either create a development upon the story or make you fall for a character even more, especially for Wild Bill who is the star of the show. Even the villains are somewhat loveable even Andy Serkis in surprisingly a human form.

By the end of Wild Bill your taken along a truly amazing journey of exactly the powerful force of what film is actually meant to do. Taking you into the gritty heart of East London and presenting a world and a collection of unsavoury and loveable character that will capture your soul, after you walk out the theatre doors with a smile, glad you snagged a ticket, and may end up going a second round with Wild Bill... In final words, Wild Bill is top class! Memorable performances that will blow you away and a gritty story of a broken family and what it means to be a father that will drive you into the narrative at full throttle with emotion, within the heart of London.

This is a London film at its full blown British Glory which punches its way into theatres March 23. I'm Jay Ottley signing out and informing you grab a ticket to Wild Bill at all costs and by any means necessary, you be a prized-prat to miss this and thanks for reading and giving a massive shout out to Aaron Ishmael, Will Poulter, Dexter Fletcher and lastly and not least BFI Future Film and the BFI.