Its obvious within the first few seconds of watching this its a UK attempt to copy the Nas/DMX vehicle that was Belly. That is a certified hood classic with a cast and vision that is simply impossible to match. Some of the characters in this even look and sound like the cast from Belly at certain times which was cringey.
Its your typical feel bad hood story however in which we are supposed to empathise with criminals and how hard they have life, as if they haven't made their own decisions to do what it is they do. As a result the only people who will engage with this totally are the very young and those that think being a gangster is something to aspire to. I am guessing some of the actors in this are rappers, because there are certain times when people start rapping instead of talking, however not everyone can rap and the guys in this, I simply don't rate them. Maybe its because Hip Hop is an American artform and hearing London Geezer rap just doesn't cut it for me. Particularly when this is obviously trying to copy the American culture. The other reason the rapping is bad is that it gives this a music video vibe which takes away from the fact it looks like quite a high budget TV series. Looking like a Hype Williams production reinforces this. It doesn't look gritty and seems to be glamorising violence etc.
There isn't much to recommend this apart from the cinematography. It reminds me of those of rappers who used to talk up the gangster lifestyle then whine about the negative consequences. Frankly I am surprised the black movie industry is still making this type of film. Even if by making a UK version they think its doing something different or they are trying to make some point. Black cinema/TV has moved on a long time ago. Or at least I thought it had. Definitely a step backwards in terms of black culture.