What a waste of my time!!!

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

A Disappointing Continuation

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Oh another gangster flick from Britain . Anyone watching a British film from the last twenty tears must be under the impression everyone in England must be a gangster or a football hooligan in much the same way as anyone watching a 1970s movie set in New York must either be a victim of crime or the victim of a vigilante . Hopefully the English tourist board can sell England to foreign tourists but it's going to be very difficult selling a sub genre that has been done so many and too many times before . To be fair to THE GUVNORS it is a fairly engaging film for the most part A bunch of violent thugs led by Adam takes over a London estate through a reign of merciless violence . Stepping over the mark when they kill an erstwhile member of an old firm from 1980s former gang leader Mitch pulls his old crew together to take on Adam's ruthless thugs . It's a rather basic premise of old school "nice" gangsters taking on new school "bad" gangsters . Director/writer Gabe Turner has resisted the temptation of casting the usual suspects of Danny Dyer , Ray Winstone and Noel Clarke and the film works better because of this . You have to buy in to the concept that when the titular "guvnors" were young they were merely young rascals who stuck to their own . Certainly sticking to their own isn't what Adam's crew do as their portrayed as violent amoral thugs . The film asks us to take sides and you don't need any persuading as to which side to take . It also makes several good points as to how the aging process changes people I did say THE GUVNORS is an engaging film for the most part and it was chugging along very nicely . Unfortunately this sustained narrative pace doesn't seem good enough for Turner the screenwriter and adds a plot turn just over two thirds of the way through which supposedly adds another layer to the story which the film could have done without and interferes with the rest of the movie which lurches in to melodrama and cliché after this which is a pity because at least the film does try and bring something new to the table

I cant think of one English made film that deserves more than 5 and this certainty continues the English Hollywood want to be, poor acting, poor writing and poor directing but certainly a B try at best, the actors bless their hearts try but the Direction is that of an Indian film, unwatchable by my standards. my question is who is pouring the money into these half hearten attempts at a serious film making. The main character lacks credibility and the plot of the film is that of every other British film wars football or just plain brutes. Comical at best this British film is not worth my time. also not to be taken seriously in the film community

Turner writes and directs this passionate movie about football firms and clans of South East London and the interaction of different generations on a violent estate. We follow ex-hooligan Mitch (an impressive Doug Allen channelling a bit of Christian Bale in his performance) whose family life is disrupted when young sadistic Adam (played by Harley Sylvester, one half of pop duo Rizzle Kicks) and his gang of youths terrorise the established order. As Adam slashes and shoots his way to respect, he's taken down a peg or two by the unrecognisable David Essex playing Mickey Senior who once trained Mitch and the old clan. When Adam gets his wild revenge on Mickey, it pulls Mitch out of retirement and back to the brutal and bloody life he left behind before eventually finding out a cruel twist of family fate. From alpha males to unchecked aggression, the film flips between the modern day and flashbacks to Mitch's past which helps explain the different paths of the protagonists. The movie also throws in flashes of comedy amongst the nastiness – a scene with a traffic warden was an hilarious highlight – but the furious flying fists are done with a painful realism which may not be for those with a faint heart. With small but well acted support roles from the likes of Richard Blackwood, Barrington "One Eyed Baz" Patterson (with a real-life past to match the character on-screen) and Vas Blackwood (Lock Stock's Rory Breaker) helping to round out the cast, this slice of street life from the UK gives us some new angles on an established genre plus some funny moments to counteract the knock out fight scenes. With a cool soundtrack and Harley Sylvester showing some impressive acting chops, you may think you know what the film will be about but there's enough new ideas here to shake up your view in this violent thriller. 7.5/10 Midlands Movies Mike

Its no secret that when in 2013 I first heard about a project called The Guvnors, I figured it was headed to be a pretty low budget UK crime drama, perhaps it would be about a crime family, perhaps another football violence movie. (nothing wrong with any of those guesses, low budget isn't bad, I love crime family dramas, and I have a few football violence movies on my DVD shelf even though I am not a football fan)Then came the trailer.Thats when I realised that I really was way off base with my initial article posted last year. On all counts.Opening with a scene that very much unnerved and shocked the viewer, its with this appearance of a battle scarred Adam (Harley Sylvester) that we are totally assured that 'The Guvnors' isn't a tale of how wonderful the world is, or how everyone is nice to each other. We are dropped firmly in the world where violence exists and knows no boundaries. This opening scene sets the film up perfectly and reminds us of things we read in the paper every few days. So is 'The Guvnors' about Adam, well yes and no. Because we are also shown the world of 'The Guvnors' through the eyes of Mitch (Doug Allen) who has put down his violent past and carved himself out a somewhat 'normal' family life with his wife and young son, who we also get an insight into as he discovers who he is but also learns who his father used to be.This is where the absolute genius of 'The Guvnors' shines brighter, taking us into a multi generational trip showing us the world on many levels, from child to young adult, to adult, to pensioner. All tying the story threads up brilliantly in its 95 or so minutes. There isn't a single frame or second of film here that isn't needed to drive the story or the characters and when you get to the end of the film and think "Damn I want another 90 minutes of this" then that perhaps is the best review someone can give for a film.There aren't many films where you see an entire cast that is excellent. Not one single person out of place and not one line spoken where you think 'oh, that went wrong' I wont go through the list of the entire cast, You can see them for yourself by checking out the IMDb page Two performances that I have to talk about. Are that of Harley Sylvester (playing the role of Adam) and Charley Palmer Merkell (who played the role of Trey)The performance awards belong to these two guys. Charley is scary beyond belief, in a sort of way you'd cross the road to avoid walking past him in case a glance or a nod was taken the wrong way and he would bring you down in a second. I've met people like Trey and he nailed it to absolute perfection, tip toeing the line between psychotic and calculating.I remember thinking "Charley Merkell has gone one hell of a future ahead" whilst watching the film, and then this morning I see that he is currently filming Legend with Tom Hardy.Now lets move onto Harley Sylvester. Again I am not going to shy away from sharing my thoughts previous to watching 'The Guvnors' When I heard that one half of music act Rizzle Kicks was going to be in the film. Yes I did cringe. However, me cringing at a casting choice isn't something that would ever put me off watching a film. So I went into 'The Guvnors' with a blank mind. Once again, I was wrong. Harley Sylvester was mindblowing in the role of Adam. Sporting a very painful looking scar down his face, Adam is without a doubt a character that will go down in the British film legend list, alongside Noel Clarke in Kidulthood/Adulthood. Harley plays the role to its maximum, showing us that he is both feared, but also showing that he might just be the person he is because thats what life has made him, he has been crafted that way to survive and protect his family and friends. So often in films we see cardboard cut- out 'villains' Adam isn't one of those and in certain scenes we (or at least I ) felt sympathy for him.Its easily in my Top 10 of the year so far, and Id like to thank everyone involved in that film for proving me wrong when I figured that 'The Guvnors' would be another typical run of the mill urban drama made on a small budget. Thank you for proving me wrong. Now heres to 'The Guvnors 2'