Bullet Boy Analysis

To which character does the title refer? Explain your answer.

The title Bullet Boy, may refer to the character of Curtis (Luke Fraser), who plays Ricky's brother. This is because within the film the gun crime that is present in the film, begins to centre around him. This is shown as Curtis is the first of the family members to find the gun Ricky is hiding in his draw, Curtis then helps his brother hide the gun even though he knows he should of disposed of the gun. When the police raid the family home the gun is not found, however after the police have left the home, Rio (Rio Tison) comes over to see Curtis, he plays dumb about what the police were there for but eventually gives in and shows Rio the gun he has been hiding under his bed for his brother. even though because of the 'suspected' gun in the house Ricky was arrested and spent the night in prison for supposed possession of a weapon.Also, in the title the word bullet is singular, showing that the person it is referring to may have only shot one bullet. Within the film, Curtis is the only one who fires a  single bullet, this is during the scene where he is playing hide and seek with Rio , and he shoots Rio accidently in the shoulder. Also, at the end of the film, Curtis is the one who disposes of the gun, by throwing it in the canal, after his brother is shot and killed by Godfrey's (Clark Lawson) gang at the train station when his mum has told him to leave the family home. When Curtis throws the gun in the canal it shows that his is ending the violence, hurt and gun crime surrounding his family, whilst the gun was still in his possession.

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

Messages: One main message that is shown within the film is Curtis' aspirations to be like Ricky. This is shown throughout the film, it is first recognised in the film when Curtis has been reading Ricky's magazines and wearing his necklace whilst he has been in prison. This is also shown in the film when Curtis takes the gun out of Ricky's draw after the police raid to show Rio, this is because when Curtis takes the gun he takes it to show off to Rio that he has a gun in his house, however this ends badly as he shoots Rio in the shoulder by accident.

Values: One of the main values that is shown within the film is loyalty. This is shown within in the film the most  between Ricky and Wisdom, this is because in an incident not shown in the film it is insinuated that Wisdom saved Ricky's life in some sort of gang incident, and because of this in the film Ricky now feels as if he owes Wisdom something and so he has to do what Wisdom wants him to when it comes to being around or there when he is showing thee rivalry between him and Godfrey. After this occurs twice in the film Ricky tells Wisdom he's not doing anymore and this ends the debt Ricky is in with Wisdom.

Social Issues: One of the main social issues shown within the film gun crime / the availability of guns. This is shown within the film because most of the crime shown within the film is done with guns rather than other weapons, every person in association with a gang owns a gun. The availability of guns is also shown because in the film Wisdom had Ricky's gun whilst he was in prison, but because he gave it back to Ricky Curtis then became open to the availability of  guns in his home.
Another main social issue shown within the film is the lack of police authority within the area. This is shown within the film because within the film Wisdom shoots at Godfrey's house, Wisdom's car gets completely smashed, Wisdom is killed and Ricky is also killed, and the only time the police are seen within the film are at the beginning when Ricky is released from prison, in the middle when they raid Ricky's home in search of the gun and right at the end when Ricky is killed and Beverly (Clare Samuels) has to sign the death certificate.

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 representations of London?
• How the characters challenge and fulfil stereotypes.

Places: Within the film the representations of London it offers do offer a slightly realistic view of London. This is because the film shows how life is on one estate in the East End of London, it shows the general stereotype for this area of London, with a mainly Black/Afro Caribbean families living in the area and the general amount of crime that appears within the film, this area also carries the stereotype of having the most gun related and gang criminal activity. This area of London is represented within the film as being a lower class, poorer area with a higher crime rate than many of the more seen areas of London. This representations differs from other representations of London because many representations of London show the main bustle of the city and the higher class of living that many people associate with the city of London.

People: The people within the film are represented as being strong, independent people. In the film the men seem to fulfil the stereotype of the 'typical' man as they seem to want to be independent and don't want people to try and protect them, they also fulfil the stereotype of being more violent or being more likely to be drawn to crime or commit crime. This is shown within the film as the only people who seem to be the ones coming crimes or being involved in some form of criminal activity are the men. The only male character who does not fulfil the 'typical' male stereotype of violence is Leon (Curtis Walker) this is because Leon is very religion orientated and does not seem to associate himself with crime at all, the only reason he could be related to crime would be when he asks Ricky about what is going on and when he helps Beverly protect Rio from the police and Rio's family when they go to apologise for Rio being shot by Curtis. In the film the women seem to challenge the stereotype of the 'typical' woman, they don't come across as being weak or reliant on men. This is because the women who are present in the film, Beverly and Shea have to put up with a lot because they both have to put up with Ricky's behaviour and him coming in and out of prison constantly, Shea has to also deal with the fact that anyone who has a problem with Ricky always seems then to have a problem with her, when Ricky's life is in danger so is Shea's. Beverly also has to put up with a lot, because she is a single mum bringing up two teenage boys, one attempting to follow in his brothers ways and being interested in criminal activity, and the other is always got a problem with someone and is always in and out of prison.