Review: Top Boy, Episode One
The BBC has had the field to itself lately with top class drama involving leading black British men. I’m thinking Luther, I’m eyeing The Shadow Line. But when Channel 4 is ready to make its move, well it’s check mate.
The thing about Top Boy is that it’s very very good. It’s addictive. The characters are real, the language is authentic and the backdrop is genuine. We haven’t seen acting this good with a script this brilliant, not even in the urban films which set the platform upon which Top Boy could stand, for a long time.
With music from Wretch 32 and Femi Kuti among others, the producers have really researched this world very well. Cameo’s from Scorcher, Sway and others also lend to the authenticity of a very real and unique urban tale.
The first episode opens with a dramatic scene in which one gang robs members of Dushane’s gang. Dushane (the remarkable Ashley Walters) is vying to make something of his life, by becoming the Top Boy in Summerhouse Estate. The scene is tense, edgy and beautifully shot with fast cutaways narrating juxtaposing scenes of everyday life in an east London market. The traders laying out their wares in the morning, the passers by ambling through on their way to work, and the young black kids peddling drugs on the corner. We’re then immersed into the lives of the characters with the obligatory introductions into their position in the game; goody or baddy.
There are three sub plots which will unfold throughout the four-part, four-day series; all hinged by thirteen-year-old Ra’Nell (Malcolm Kamulete) whose mum Lisa (Sharon Duncan Brewster) has been committed to a mental hospital and appears to be struggling to decide whether to stay straight or join Dushane’s gang where as Dushane eloquently, if not smacking with cliche, reminds him “I know your mum ain’t around, but we are… Listen, we’re your family now, think of all these lot as your cousins”
Ashley Walters is tremendous, but that’s to be expected. All his theatre work and years of studying his craft is lending itself to him becoming a truly accomplished actor. There’s something of an Idris Elba swagger in some of his mannerisms in Top Boy but I’m sure fans of both will forgive him for that.
The surprise performance is from Kano who plays Sully, Dushane’s less forgiving sidekick. A star debut performance sees him play a role that might just possibly upstage the groom, we’ll have to wait and see. Having said that, there isn’t a bad performance in the show. From Chantelle to Gem, Bobby Raikes to Kamale, the entire cast excel in their perfectly selected roles.
The ambience is all so finely tuned also. From the music to the deliciously hued scenes of the nightclub and the crackhouse (very Next Episode, Dr Dre) the whole thing just works. I wanted to dislike Top Boy. Instead, I have fallen in love with it. I particularly admired the scene when Gem is driven across London when he joins the gang. The haunting, timeless music etching away at his youth, initiating him into a whole new life. The attention to detail in Top Boy leaves me wanting for adjectives.
There are those who will (and have) written off Top Boy before viewing it. I was one such person, but while watching it became more and more difficult to dislike it. This story exists. There are those who live this. Yes, there are other stories of black people, other realities of black communities in London. I certainly don’t belong to the subculture depicted in the programme, but it’s thrilling.
Guy Ritchie told a similar story in Lock Stock, Ridley Scott did it in American Gangster, and we were all in awe of those. There are echoes of City of God and even the follow up City of Men. There are scenes directly lifted from The Wire. Ronan Bennet tells it here for us, with our language, our actors, our stars. If you’re one of those that demand to see a different narrative you had better go and write and fund it yourself. Like the Meet The Adebanjo’s team did (and for whom I hold eternal respect and awe).
Top Boy has a lot going for it. If it were a weekly drama over 12 or so episodes it could easily have become Britain’s The Wire, or something like that. It’s slick, it’s fast and it’s damn right entertaining. I’m looking forward to watching the entire series.
So that’s what I thought of Top Boy. What did you think, will you watch all four?
About Uche Chukwu | All Posts | Website | Twitter | Contact
An opinionated, social commentator and cultural critic with something to say about everything. Usually polemic and not always well thought through. Something of an insensitive, hypocritical contradiction of altruistic folly, he observes what is wrong with society, snears at, examines and dissects it then walks away in disgust, offering little by way of solution. Believes the world needn't actually change, and dumbing down is unnecessary, we just need to find a way to eradicate the really stupid. He's part of the problem.
…I wanna watch it now…
Just finished watching Top Boy. It was good. However, think that this stays best a four part series and shown over the week and not turned into a 12 part TV Series.
I think people would have lost interest if it not all shown over a week.
It was good and should leave it at that and it was far from being great.
Channel 4 should get a pat on the back and think if they had longer time and perhaps a bigger budget things may have been different. I will be looking forward to what Asher D and Kano do next.
The fact that you can draw comparisons from so many different movies from just one episode should at least hint at how hackneyed and cliched the story line to Top Boy is. The Cinematography was good. The acting was ok, but really how hard would it be for Asher D, Scorcher or Kano to play young black thugs on the street, they grew up watching these people at work daily. The Wire brought you deep into the workings of the drug trade from all angles, the police, politicians, the poor kids on the street, the top dealers, the dock workers etc etc, Top Boy is no where near this and its doubtful it would ever get to that level had it been extended. The writer lived in Hackney and wrote about what he saw, he did not research how far the drug trade in Hackney goes, if he did we would have the Turkish contingent from upper clapton, the eastern europeans who have taken over parts of Stoke Newington, instead we have local black kids as usual ( whose language is NOT authentic), the de riguer white cockney king pin and the loudly dressed african, not een a police siren can be heard in the background! I wanted it to be good, I thought it would have at least been entertaining like One Day, instead Top Boy is just a frustrating waste of time, talent & resources.
I did like the cinematography.,
Now The Wire WAS Brilliant. Top Boy has nothing on that. The people who wrote The Wire went and lived in those communities, and crucially, SPOKE to people and found out who was who, what was what, and how everything ran, C4 clearly didnt do that. What is beardy man’s name btw? I hope de-bearding him is also part of the plot….
Also, is Ashley ever going to play another character? He was saying in G2 the other day he’s not afraid of being typecast and he’s just pleased to have the opportunity to work and grow. It’s good tobe aprreciateive, but if you’re just the same character each time I see you, where’s the acting? Where’s the range? I’m not saying he should never play these characters. But it’d be nice to see him mix the roles up a little. Not just be a variation of Asher D every time I see him
I think that’s a bit of unfair comment, the fact is that actors are at the mercy of directors, producers and tv commissioners. Ashley Walter has played a variety of characters on Theatre and Film (Small Island, Get Rich or Die Tryin, In the Red and Brown Water) yet people only seem to talk about the ‘stereotypical’ roles, that hes ‘always’ doing when there are tons of roles that he has played that are different.
As an actor you do the roles that you are offered, he has several children and a mortgage to play who are we judge him for taking on work that he being paid to do that he executes with commitment and skill every time?
Really? You thought the script was “brilliant” and Ashley was “tremendous”?? I mean I did find watching him and Kano tremendous for non-acting related reasons- their performances were fine, but nothing to write home about . I thought the programme was watchable — and I’ll watch the coming ones– but “addictive” is overselling it I think. I certainly wouldnt say there “echoes of City of God”… Maybe more City of Men, which I thought was kind of a blah follow up to a fantastic first film… I dunno… I feel like it’s a tale I’ve seen/heard before and it’s not being told any better than before or more creatively (like City of Men). In fact I think the Guy Richie films is a good comparison: Lock Stock was great cos it was different. But when you’ve seen several films all in the same vien, it becomes a bit blah… I’d give Top Boy a B- so far (It would have been a C but i’ve upgraded for Kano’s eyes and Ashley’s smile). Watchable, but nothing new… Channel4 and all involved could do better. Infact no, scratch that… C+. It’s fine, it’s not a fail, it does the job, but I expected more, and its a definate “could do better” for everyone.
I forced myself to watch Top Boy because I knew it would be a hot topic but believe me I really wanted to watch Big Brother! What did I think, not much. Whilst I agree with your observations on the acting, writing, sub-plots, ambience it is the subject matter that disappoints me. It has been done many times before and I am simply bored with it.
I am not denying this world exists, but guess what, there is more to black people and the inner-city than what is portrayed here! I just don’t know what we are supposed to gain from this programme. At least Boys In The Hood introduced us to a world a lot of people knew nothing about but its been done over and over since then.
Whist you praise the authentic language, genuine backdrop and brilliant acting (all of which I agree) I long to see a black majority led drama dealing with a subject matter that is challenging, thought provoking rather than merely maintaining the status quo.
As for the script, whilst I agree that it is very well written it bothers me that it was written by the middle-aged white crime writer, Ronan Bennett. Yes I know he is well respected and did his research but it just doesn’t sit well with me. I also question whether this subject matter deserved to be a four-parter.
I won’t be watching the other three parts (except to take a peek at the hot bearded ‘Laurence Fishburne’ dude) apparently Faye is up for eviction and she’s arguing with Aaron again and I can’t wait to see how it pans out!!!