
Variety
"Yardie" has the right look, the right sound and the right moves to play with the bigger boys of its genre; like its young, scrappy but naive hero, however, there's not quite enough power behind its posturing.
Full reviewIdris Elba gets behind the camera for this Sundance Grand Jury Prize-nominated crime drama based on Victor Headley's novel of the same name.
"On a hot night in Kingston, Jamaica, 1973, Jerry Dread (Everaldo Creary, Better Mus' Come) stops the music at an outdoor party to encourage a truce between warring gangs. His little brother Denis looks on from the crowd as an assassin's bullet rings out, taking Jerry’s life. A decade later, Denis is the right-hand man to gang boss Fox, who sends him on a loyalty-testing mission to London. But when the mission goes wrong, Denis hides out with an old flame and decides to find his brother’s killer." (Sundance Film Festival)
Less"Yardie" has the right look, the right sound and the right moves to play with the bigger boys of its genre; like its young, scrappy but naive hero, however, there's not quite enough power behind its posturing.
Full reviewCosy clichés such as these undercut the rawness of the material - which is a shame, because Elba's visual sense and handling of actors suggest a strong future behind the camera. At least it shows he's human.
Full reviewAhead, its own distinctive, rewarding path; on all other sides, several hundred yards of crime-movie cliche. At most of these junctures, Elba makes the right choice.
Full reviewAlthough Elba stretches the narrative to its limits, this is a nicely-shot, -cast and -told period story of black Britain - when so few exist - with a geniality that cuts through some of its bleaker moments.
Full reviewEnjoyable, but so deeply conventional that it feels a little played out.
Full reviewIt's a pedestrian effort that could have used a serious hit of Elba's dangerous charisma onscreen.
Full reviewNeither a luridly enjoyable piece of Scarface-style pulp or a nuanced genre subversion, Idris Elba's directorial debut is a fitfully entertaining 1980s gangster thriller.
Full reviewYardie is available to stream in Australia now on Google Play and Apple TV.
Get to your watchlist.
Or sign in with your email
Don’t have a Flicks account?
Keep track of the movies and show you want to see + get Flicks email updates.
Or sign up with your email
Already have a Flicks account?
Don’t have a Flicks account?
Remembered your password?
To post ratings/reviews we need a username. This is what will appear next to your ratings and reviews.