100 Streets (3½ Stars)

This film tells three stories which are only partially connected to one another by sharing the same characters. The plots themselves don't affect one another.

In the first story Max Moore, the former head of England's Rugby team, is having marital problems. He had an extra-marital affair in the recent past, shortly before the film started. As a result his wife Emily is seeking comfort in the arms of an ex-lover, a photographer called Jake. Max loves his wife and desperately wants her back.

In the second story Kingsley, a teenage gang member, is considering leaving his life of crime. It's not easy, because the gang leaders think that they own him. They don't want to let him go. Kingsley might not be very well educated, but he's a natural philosopher. He understands the meaning of life – possibly the meaninglessness of life – better than anyone else in the film.

In the third story a middle-aged couple want to adopt a baby after being unable to conceive one of their own. A problem is that the husband was once convicted of violent behaviour at a football match. It was 30 years ago, but it hasn't been forgotten.

I really regret that there's no commentary track on the Blu-ray. I don't fully understand the film. Each of the three stories is interesting in itself, but why have they been combined? The tag line on the film poster is "Anyone can take a wrong turn", which gives us a clue about what the director wanted to say, but I'm sure that there's more. All three stories have a happy ending, although Max barely achieves happiness.

If the information I have is correct, this is the most unsuccessful film that I've reviewed so far. A success rate of less than -10,000 is extreme. I hope it made a bit of money back from DVD sales. The film is worth buying solely for the excellent acting by Idris Elba and Gemma Arterton, two of my favourite actors.

Success Rate:  - 10628.2

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