Analysis of Bullet Boy with reference to Sweet Sixteen

Bullet Boy is a British film by Saul Dibb that was released in 2004. Its use of narrative features help to portray a harrowing tale about race, class, gangs and gun crime. The film follows the life of Ricky after he has got out of prison, and his effect on the lives of those around him. It draws on many of the same aspects of another British film Sweet Sixteen.

The settings and locations of Bullet Boy play a major role in the plot. Not only does it establish the setting, but the view of the back streets of rural London immediately gives an indication of the class of the characters, and suggests that this is significant to the action. This mirrors the setting in Scotland in Sweet Sixteen. This too was shot in a lower class rural area.

The establishing sequence of Bullet Boy allows us to see a contrasting parallel action of setting, beginning with Curtis trapped within a darkened boot of a car. He is small and confined in this space with very little lighting. Immediately this image is contrasted by the view of Ricky, also trapped, but within a small room that has been washed out in white and is shown in a bright, almost over exposed light. This method of editing using parallel action in contrast is used throughout the film, and allows us to see the connection between the characters. In reference to setting for example, when Ricky is released from prison his mother throws him a ‘welcome back’ party. This scene shows a civilised diner party with many adults in a warm red lighted house. In parallel however, Ricky is seen to be out clubbing with his friends. This setting contains very dark lighting, and the characters of young, wild clubbers. The effect of this is that the spectator can begin to understand how Ricky is pulling away from his family, and that he chooses his friends as the most important people in his life.

The characterisation in Bullet Boy is also highly influential to the plot. The roles and functions of each character work subtly to influence the other characters and the situations within the film. For example, the character of wisdom is what Propp described as the false hero/anti hero. Whilst not a villain, Wisdom does influence the protagonist Ricky in a negative way throughout the film narrative, and leads him astray. An example of this is shown when Ricky has only just got out of prison, and just wishes to reunite with all his friends and girlfriend. However, Wisdom convinces him to leave them behind and accompany him as he attempts to win back his reputation. This results in him killing a man’s dog, and Ricky’s reaction tells the spectator that he did not want anything to do with this. The character of Wisdom is also the one who convinced Ricky to keep the gun, which is what led on to all the issues within the film.

Similarly, within Sweet Sixteen, the character of Pinball mirrors the character of wisdom. For example, towards the beginning of the film, Pinball attempts to make Liam take a knife, just as wisdom attempted to make Ricky take a gun. Also, when most of the trouble the two fifteen year olds had got into seemed to die down, Pinball created even more trouble by stealing the gang boss’s car and crashing it into his club. Liam’s reaction to this, and to having to deal with it allows the spectator to see that he is essentially good natured, and creates sympathy for him, rather like that which the audience feel in reference to Ricky.

In terms of ideology, Bullet Boy has a strong sense of unity and brotherhood. For example, at the beginning of the film, when Ricky asks his little brother Curtis whether he has been keeping an eye on his girlfriend, Curtis asks what was in it for him. To this, Ricky simply says, ‘You’re my brother. You should just do these things for me.’ Consistently throughout the film, the word ‘Brethren’ is also stated. Although a slang word for friend, it does represent the closeness between them, as they are constantly comparing their bond of friendship to the bond of brothers. This especially applies to when they simply use this term to explain why they do things. For example, when Shea asks Ricky why he would violate his probation terms, Ricky reasons, ‘because he’s my Brethren.’ This allows the spectator to understand why Ricky is always in trouble, as he is just looking out for his unstable friend out of loyalty. This creates spectators sympathy for Ricky, and also links to the wider issue of class.

By the setting we are able to see that both Bullet Boy and Sweet Sixteen take place in lower class, rural areas. This representation of lower class characters allows the spectator to understand this sense of unity more. For example, in Sweet Sixteen, there is also a strong sense of unity, especially between Liam and his sister. The spectator can see that this is at least party due to their class as Chantelle says, ‘You and Calum are all I’ve got.’ This idea of dependency upon each other shows the spectator, within both narratives, that they do not have much else in their lives.

In conclusion, both Bullet Boy and Sweet Sixteen are both harrowing and dramatic British films. With a fast sense of spinning out of control in Sweet Sixteen, and the continuing theme of entrapment within unwanted lives and situations in Bullet Boy, both films display their narratives through many different film features to the spectator.