The Plague review

No, it’s not a horror film. It is hairy in here, though. Packing festival acclaim and the support of Mike Leigh, 26-year-old Greg Hall’s £3,500 feature debut is a tale of tough innercity life, shot with natural style. Set in and around a high-rise hell, it follows a multi-racial quartet of warmly drawn, keenly acted friends over a day or two of drinking, pulling girls, scoring drugs, pulling scams and getting into a police-sized pickle. The plot unfolds distinctly, if a little slowly, favouring clipped snapshots over forward motion, intercut with pirate-radio dispatches from freestyle rapper Skinnyman and DJ Flip. Unlike Human Traffic , mind, urban cool isn’t its intent. This is a rougher world-view, but made with affection, honesty, humour and an energised, off-the-cuff ingenuity. Not on at your nearest Vue? Seek it out elsewhere. It’s worth it.