Ashley Walters’ crucial starring role in 2004 movie ‘Bullet Boy’
Among the smog of dramas that have descended upon Netflix over the years, only a small handful have truly been worth watching, with the likes of Stranger Things, Ozark and Orange is the New Black being standout greats. Yet, nothing can truly compare to Top Boy, the violent British drama starring rappers-turned-actors Ashley Walters and Kano, a pertinent series adopted from Channel 4 that speaks to the brutal realities of life for the young, black working-class in London.
Written and created by Ronan Bennett, the series follows the lives of a drug gang on the fictional Summerhouse estate in Hackney, London, starring Dushane (Walters) and Sully (Kane ‘Kano’ Robinson) as brothers in arms fighting for control. As well as being known for its visceral approach to violence, where any character can be dispatched of in a matter of frank seconds, the series is also famed for its spectacular lead performances, with Walters impressing in a complex lead role.
Yet, his role in the series may have not been possible at all had it not been for his breakout performance as Ricky in Saul Dibb’s seminal 2004 drama Bullet Boy, where the rapper starred as the lead character, a recently-released convict looking to find peace in his new life. Where previously the reality of the young black experience hadn’t been widely expressed, Dibb’s film gave voice to such lives, creating an absorbing drama in the process.
Having only been released from prison himself months before he took on the role, the offer of the leading role in Bullet Boy came during a moment of seeming hopelessness in the star’s life. “I walked out of prison, and a week later my manager called me into the office and I met [writer-director] Saul Dibb,” the actor told Complex in an interview, “It was at a point where I didn’t even think I was going to work again, so I was pleased that he had me in mind…My own life experience was guiding me through it, but the technical side of the acting I had no understanding of at that time. I was quite depressed. It was a hard movie to shoot”.
A seminal film for British cinema, as well as one of the best coming-of-age dramas of the contemporary era, Bullet Boy explores the social systems that prevent people from escaping hardship, pointing to the complete lack of governmental constructs available to help. Powerful and emotional, it is a rather frank exploration of young life with the conviction of a Ken Loach masterpiece and the vigour of contemporary indie filmmaking.
Walters eventually earned himself a British Independent Film Award for his performance, but more urgently, the film became crucial in the formation of a brand new sub-genre of British cinema in the 2000s. “It was like another pioneering time for me,” the actor stated, “And for the UK film scene and that genre. After that, we had the Kidulthoods, the Adulthoods, whatever, and we kinda created a little market that is still thriving now“.
Without Bullet Boy, there would indeed be no Kidulthood, Adulthood, Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil, or Netflix’s Top Boy, with Dibb and Walters pioneering something fresh and inventive that ultimately started with telling an honest story about an underrepresented corner of British society. After all, it was due to the realism of Channel 4’s show that Walters chose to come on board, turning down offers from other more fantastical dramatic explorations.
