Wild Bill (2011) User Reviews

An urban British drama with soul.

[nesfilmreviews · 8/10 · 17 July 2013]

A mixture of urban grit, humor, and emotional turbulence while maintaining a sense of authenticity throughout, director Dexter Fletcher delivers a prominent, charming British drama. Thanks to a deeply heartfelt script--a cast that boasts a wealth of British acting talent (including Charlie Creed-Miles, Will Poulter, Andy Serkis, and Jaime Winstone), "Wild Bill" successfully adds a fresh approach and perspective to the heavily saturated genre of broken families and urban decay.

Charlie Creed-Miles gets top billing here as "Wild Bill," the former drug-dealing tough guy who has spent the past 8 years under lock and key. Returning home on parole to find his two sons abandoned by their mother, Bill is blackmailed by his eldest, embittered son Dean into sticking around until the threat of being placed into social services has passed. As Bill begins to bond with his younger son Jimmy (Sammy Williams), local drug dealer "T" (Leo Gregory), digs his claws into both father and son.

Fletcher's debut is outstanding, and Charlie Creed-Miles performance as Bill is a knockout. Bill, whose hasty journey to redemption could so easily have seemed abhorrently contrived, yet strangely feels incredibly organic and totally believable. The enjoyment of "Wild Bill" is derived from its incredibly nuanced and engaging performances.

Many societal issues are addressed in Wild Bill: neglected children, alcoholism, prostitution, teen pregnancy, drug dealing, and the impact of role models on today's youth (or the lack thereof). Yet the film manages to remain far lighter than its weighty material. Thanks in part to the sharp writing by Fletcher and co-writer Danny King; Wild Bill manages to be funny without sacrificing the emotional power that drives the narrative.

"Wild Bill" is one of those rare films that possesses energy and vibrancy that manages to keep you rooting for its characters from start to finish. Fletcher's debut will not be an instant hit that propels his name into the spotlight--or recognized by the general public, yet he should be commended for creating a genuinely delightful piece of British social realism laced with charisma and wit. For audiences, "Wild Bill" is a surprisingly entertaining and well-told story that is far more relevant than most would want to believe.

an understated minor classic

[andygberry1 · 8/10 · 4 April 2012]

I had heard good things about this film, and I'm pleased to say that it more than lived up to my expectations. There is something about Wild Bill that lifts it above being just another British socio-realist drama. The soundtrack is fantastic with tracks by The Clash and Aaron Neville enhancing certain moments in the film. There is the Western influence with Bill, played by Charlie Creed-Miles, who gives a wonderfully understated performance, trying to do the right thing against the odds, and dishing out some righteous revenge to the gang of drug dealers that exploited his son. But there is one scene in particular, where Bill shows his youngest son how to make paper aeroplanes and they launch one out of the window of their tower block flat and the camera duly follows it as it gets blown around the London skyline, which is pure poetry. I certainly think that Dexter Fletcher will be a director to watch out for in the future, as he clearly has a love of film and surprisingly for a first time director has a grasp of what works visually. For the first time in a while, since Shane Meadows, I'm excited about the work of a British filmmaker and can't wait for his next film. He's certainly laid down a marker with Wild Bill.

Brit film making at its best

[weemonk · 8/10 · 25 July 2012]

Oh Dexter Fletcher! How I have your name engraved in my mind for all eternity from when I was a little boy watching 'Press Gang'. An iconic name for those of my generation and British acting. He managed to appear in many a film but never a leading man but now tries his hand at directing.

I think Mr Fletcher may have found his way of breaking out by stepping behind the camera. What we have here is a very well written and directed film debut about a man who is released from prison and finds himself looking after his 2 sons whose mother has abandoned them.

It isn't an exciting film as this is a drama with some light humour thrown in. It's quality British film making where we go and take a peak at something which is more than likely true to real life.

Many familiar fine British actors are recognisable in this film and Mr Fletcher no doubt had no trouble in bringing out their finest performances as I'm sure he's probably friends or familiar with them. This makes viewing the film as if watching real life.

So, if you want to take break and watch something engaging then do so by watching Wild Bill. The performances are great (Will Poulter will be a star one day), the story is realistic and gritty and the direction for a first timer is spot on. This isn't the type of film you'll watch repeatedly but the type you'll be glad that you've seen the once.

Didn't expected much however wasn't disappointed

[shilamit-851-322038 · 7/10 · 24 March 2012]

Went to watch this movie after an awful time watchin "The Hunger Games". Not to expect much out of it this movie really surprised & amazed me.

The story line's smooth with good performances all round. Liked the plot with the father returning after doing time to the so called home, the kids settling in a parent less world and sudden chaos caused with the father's return not to forget the intervention of the child services & the so called drug peddlers pitching in to a a nicely woven story. Must acknowledge the director for the good work.

Its been a good Saturday end thanks to "Wild Bill"

Rating 7 of 10, go out and watch this good flick.

A great British gem and wonderful directorial debut

[tonetalk · 9/10 · 24 March 2012]

It's a rare occurrence for me to see a film that I know very little about and with the mass marketing of most movies nowadays it's quite a difficult thing to achieve. However, in the case of Wild Bill the only thing I knew was that the film marks Dexter Fletcher's directorial debut.

The film centres around the eponymous Bill who we meet upon his release from prison on The Isle of Wight following an eight year stretch for various transgressions in his early life. Bill returns to his home in East London to find that his two young sons have been abandoned by their mother and are now trying to cope on their own whilst avoiding the gaze of social services. The eldest son has taken on the paternal role and is reluctant to relinquish this upon his fathers return but this reluctance pales in comparison to Bill's own lack of interest in raising his sons. There are the expected gangster side stories (it is East London after all) but the heart of the movie is concerned with Bill re-establishing the relationships with his boys and attempting to go straight.

The fact that I can report that Wild Bill is an excellent little film provides me with much joy. The above synopsis might make it sound like a Mike Leigh kitchen sink drama but nothing could be further from the truth. This is a genuinely funny film and Fletcher takes a lot of time to fashion characters that the audience can sympathise with and relate to. The gangsters are slightly two dimensional but this doesn't detract from the warm and rewarding tale of a man finally growing up and embracing his responsibilities.

Dexter Fletcher shows that his near 30 years as an actor have taught him many things about the art of directing and he takes to this role with great aplomb. A particular high point in the film, from a directorial point of view, comes when Bill is teaching his youngest son to throw paper airplanes from their high rise flat. The camera follows one of these planes as is loops and circles to the ground in a beautiful continuous shot that marks a significant turning point in the protagonists journey.

The cast are well employed here and Charlie Creed-Miles (Bill) does a wonderful job of holding the piece together and transforming the character from a good for nothing ex con into a caring father, willing to do anything for his sons. Special mention should go to Will Poulter who plays Bill's eldest son (Dean). This young man has a very bright future ahead and the maturity of his performance is incredibly touching. Those who remember Poulter from his earlier movie 'Son of Rambow' will not be surprised to see that this teenage actor is developing into a fine young talent indeed. The rest of the cast reads like a who's who of journeymen British actors and it would not surprise me to learn that many of the performers who have short cameos aren't simply doing this for their old mate Dexter.

There are comparisons to be made between the story here and that of many an old fashioned western but the point isn't laboured. A scene towards the end of the film actually put me in mind of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven in a rather odd way (look for the pub fight) and this only increased my affection for this wonderful film.

The East End backdrop is dominated by the recent additions of the Olympic Stadia and Dean actually has a job working on the construction site of the velodrome. The renewal of the area is an obvious metaphor for Bill's transformation from old east end villain to new, loving family man. I cannot imagine, however, that LOCOG (London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games) intend to use this film as an enticement for tourists as it still shows a gritty underbelly to the area that no number of sporting developments can hope to erase.

Wild Bill will garner a lot of praise and hopefully ensure that Dexter Fletcher's voice as a writer and director is encouraged and used to make further such homegrown gems. I, for one, cannot wait to see what he makes next.

Working on the rigs up North....

[FlashCallahan · 7/10 · 2 March 2013]

After 8 years inside Bill Hayward returns home to find his now 11 and 15 year old sons abandoned by their mother and fending for themselves.

Dean the older boy has found a job and is doing his best to bring up his younger brother Jimmy, but the arrival of Bill has brought them to the attention of social services.

With the danger of being put into care looming, Dean forces his Dad to stay by threatening to grass him up for dealing. He agrees to stay for a week to fool social services that the boys are being cared for.

Bill quickly connects with Jimmy and through this new bond starts to realise what he's been missing. He has a family, he is a father.

However, their happy family is short lived when Jimmy gets into trouble with Bill's old cohorts....

You would be forgiven, if you thought this was just another one of those kitchen sink type London dramas that arrived ten a penny after the arrival of one Guy Ritchie.

And while this has similarities to many of those films, thanks to Fletchers great direction, and the genius portrayal of the titular character by Miles, this is one of those rare cases where a British film about a criminal trying to go straight, despite his past catching up with him, is very, very good.

It helps too that the chemistry between the screen family is solid, and it's pretty believable. Apart from the typecast white guy who thinks he is of a different ethnicity, its very believable, the villains are to your typical wide boys, and it's very funny and sweet in places.

It's a shame that it does carry the burden of an atypical Brit crime flick, but it's a very powerful family drama, that carries emotional depth, and a very funny streak throughout.

Recommended.

Dind't expect much and I'm really happy I saw it.

[AlphaWebProductions · 9/10 · 20 July 2012]

I must say, this is my first movie review ever, and that was the movie which made me do so.

Plot made me to really get into story and kept me hooked from beginning.

It was really well and acted. Cast did just awesome job especially parts they had to show characters emotions. I haven't seen a good British drama since "Harry Brown"

So if you are person who loves dramas which bring up a lot emotions and makes you put yourself in characters position, I Definitely recommend this film. I give it 9/10.

Great Film, Watch it - but expect to be a bit doubtful

[January39 · 7/10 · 20 July 2012]

Bill is back and he wants to go straight, and connect back to his kids who don't like him much - can he go straight when the world wants to bring him back down?

It is a good film, i liked it but i found myself shouting at the TV on occasion - too many things are introduced but never fleshed out enough and in some cases forgotten about. The massive block of coke they get? What about the bag of drugs they give the lead - what happens to them? The copper(Dear Sean)with his foreboding warning, the massive drug king pin? the lead roles back history; what had he done to a)the drug king pin and b) the drug dealers brother?? You are left to assume but never find out...

Rant over.

Overall the film is a good one but in parts i felt like i was watching a comedy; particularly the pub fight scene - Dicky? Hard? Pepper spray and a blade? He runs off first chance he gets, lol. They all do. The landlord hides in the cellar and his wife(poss Daughter) moans that she 'only just hoovered'. Does that sound serious? not sure it adds to the overall feeling for the scene...

I'm ranting again. Argh.

Despite the above - i would watch it again, the story was good and Dexter has an eye for direction, the cast did themselves proud (although the drug kingpin was a bit lame with his Maccy D's coffee). There is a beautiful scene with a paper aeroplane, rarely have i seen a scene that sums a moment up so well, a real gem for that scene alone.

Enjoy it, but expect to be a little bit confused, if not a little annoyed in parts. 7/10 for me.

The Council Estate Western.

[hitchcockthelegend · 9/10 · 22 March 2014]

Wild Bill is directed by Dexter Fletcher who also co-writes the screenplay with Danny King. It stars Charlie Creed-Miles, Will Poulter, Liz White, Sammy Williams, Charlotte Spencer, Leo Gregory, Neil Maskell and Iwan Rheon. Music is by Christian Henson and cinematography by George Richmond.

Wild Bill Hayward (Creed-Miles) is just out of prison after serving eight years. Heading home he finds his two sons Dean (Poulter) and Jimmy (Williams) fending for themselves after their mother abandoned them. Bill hadn't planned on hanging around, but if he doesn't then the boys will be taken into care. More pressing is that the local drug runners have got young Jimmy working for them, Bill might just have to take his parental responsibilities to another level and justify his Wild reputation.

Splendid piece of British grit and wit, Wild Bill follows in the traditions of films directed by British actors, who for their debut directing assignment impressed with the ability to grab the attention and no loosen the grip. Fletcher has done a bang up job here, managing to turn what could have been a standard dysfunctional family melodrama into something more meaningful, engaging and suspenseful.

Story is set to the backdrop of working class London, where the building of the Olympic stadium serves as a beacon of hope in the distance, while our principal characters struggle through a world of grimy flats, empty pubs, dirty cafés and drug infested council estates.

The narrative operates on two fronts, Bill (Miles superb) is trying to keep on the straight and narrow, as he candidly observes, if his dog craps on the pavement he will get 18 months back in prison! But as he tries to build a relationship with his two sons, especially the older and more colder Dean, circumstances are drawing him back into the violent world he desperately wants to leave behind. It's this angle that gives the film its suspense, as viewers we are wondering if Bill can achieve his goals, will he get a break, will the family become one unit?

Elsewhere the film operates as a coming of age story, where Dean has had to grow up real fast to look after his younger brother, even taking on employment at the age of 15 to provide for Jimmy and himself. Then there is matters of the heart, as he is strongly attracted to local girl Steph (Spencer), this aspect is very well handled by Fletcher, who gets the excellent Poulter to deftly portray those early nerves when Cupid starts to draw back its bow, the tentative fumblings of young love easily identifiable to us all.

Pic is full of familiar British faces, most of them just stopping by in cameos to lend friendly support to Fletcher's project. They all offer a reassuring presence to proceedings, adding further weight to what is damn fine debut picture. Sometimes violent, often heart warming and tender, and very laugh out loud funny, Wild Bill is a winner. 9/10

Better than I had expected...

[saadgkhan · 7/10 · 30 July 2012]

Wild Bill – CATCH IT (B+) Wild bill is a very interesting British movie about ex convict returning home after 8 years and realize that his sons now 11 & 15 are living alone since their mother fled to Spain with her lover. When social services find out he pretend to stay for a while with his sons until social services give him back the guardianship. The concept of the movie is interesting and the execution is even more interesting. This movie is as real as it could have get, filled with brilliant performance each and everyone. Charlie Creed-Mills is great in his part. Will Poulter really impress me for the first time I actually hated him in Narnia 3. Iwan Rheon is soo talented and even in small roles you will notice him he is simply amazing. Can't wait to see him in "Game Of Thrones". Liz White looked hot. Charlotte Spencer, Jamie Winstone, Sammy Williams, Leo Gregory and Andy Sarkins did a good job. On the whole, Wild Bill is a very good entertaining movie with heart. Watch it! c

Great movie.

[wljpalmer · 10/10 · 21 July 2012]

Watched this movie knowing nothing about it, and with the name wild bill, though it was one of those silly lets kill everyone movies, but i was absolutely engrossed by this movie from the first 5 mins, great storyline, and great acting, and being from this part of London myself, it catches the essence of life in the London ghetto life, and towards the end of the movie you really feel for the lead character and find yourself getting chocked up for the guy.

8 out of 10 from me, and i'm normally a hard critic of English films as there been so much rubbish in the last few years coming out of england.

I'm fully intent to watch this film again, and this time take my wife so she can see what i was raving about to her about this film.

Charlie Creed-Miles and Will Poulter have given me faith in English films again...

Welcome to the Wild East End

[robinski34 · 7/10 · 5 June 2014]

If Mike Leigh had directed Lock Stock, it might have turned out something like this charming and enjoyable drama about family. Dexter Fletcher displays a sure touch in the direction of a script co-written with Danny King and there are fine lead performances from Charlie Creed-Miles and rising star Will Poulter (Son of Rambow, We're The Millers, etc.), with a liberal sprinkling of able support from a fine range of British thesping talent, including Marc Warren, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng, Sean Pertwee and Andy Serkis, deservedly permitted to leave his ping-pong ball-covered leotard in the cupboard again. The mobster tropes are predictable but, thankfully, the snappy script keeping things moving and avoids proceedings ending up in that derelict siding reserved for rusting gangster clichés. Credit for that goes to Fletcher, who has generated some real expectations with this fine beginning.

Usual sarf London cliché gangsta film

[miceal-427-294269 · 5/10 · 19 July 2012]

First time i have written a review,but,felt the need to in this case after reading the 4 great reviews before.I want to say that in my opinion the rave reviews given do not correctly reflect the film,I'd go as far as to say that they were probably written by people to do with the making of the film.My own impartial opinion is that although not a bad film (bit like a gritty episode of Grange Hill)with very good performances from the leading characters,apart from the awful drug dealers (come on lads)you can only work with what you have got,and in this case it was an awful script,clichéd in every way.If you are going to watch a film with some grit and integrity do yourself a favour and watch Paddy Considine's TYRANNOSAUR (also a directorial debut)which is gritty,powerful and raw.Unfortunately all the things this movie lacks.

The more seamy side of our capital city...

[natashabowiepinky · 6/10 · 9 February 2013]

For anybody abroad who sees this film and is familiar with the touristy London, the sight of these disgusting squalid flats and the amount of kids dealing or hooked on drugs will be shocked. Alas, I fear this is far closer to the real inner city areas than our politicians care to confess, and I pity any child who grows up in these depressing surroundings as they have very little hope.

Aside from having more smackable 'people' in it than any recent film in living memory, it also provides one of the more brutal punch-ups as Wild Bill lays into the gangstas who threaten his children. Well, you'd do the same wouldn't you?

It's not a great drama, with a pretty standard storyline we've all seen before in various guises and lots of shouting which is supposed to pass for acting. But it's never boring, and Charlie Creed-Miles is great as the ex-con titular character. If only all inmates could be as easily reformed as him... 6/10

Excellent!...

[cat_ranchero · 9/10 · 27 January 2013]

Really well made with the first-time director making full use of his actors and their surroundings to make a film that is great to look at as well as being a well put together drama. All the main characters were excellently played by Charlie Creed-Mills, Will Poulter (who I last saw in the (also excellent) 'Son of Rambow'), the young Sammy Williams and Leo Gregory. I should also mention Liz White as Roxy and Charlotte Spencer as Steph; both did a great job also. A film with great emotional depth that doesn't over-play the drama too much and I have to admit I really enjoyed it!

SteelMonster's verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

My score: 9.0/10.

You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Well done Mr Dexter sir

[adamscastlevania2 · 6/10 · 27 November 2014]

(58%) To make yet another low budgeted cockney based crime drama is a bit like making yet another low budget zombie horror, it's something that has been done and done and done. So to stand out from the pack it really needs to be a sizeable step up from the more average entries. And I'm glad to report that this is. The first time feature film director Dexter Fletcher really has created something that shows the near impossible situation ex-cons face, and not in the more lazily way of gang intimidation to get back into a life of crime, but home and family life too. It also helps that the writing feels like something that was actually worked on rather than scribbled down on a bit of paper during shooting. While the performances are all pretty good, even if a couple of the side characters are a little underwritten. Overall a really quite solid crime drama with more than a few nice touches of comedy, a cool soundtrack, and more than a bit of heart, all set in the backdrop of a harsh London neighbourhood that's constantly changing.

A proper English gritty film

[alexstathopoulos · 8/10 · 3 July 2021]

I'm so sick of American films portraying the English with stupid posh accents and houses with access to a rooftop that somehow overlooks the whole of London. This is a proper English film about proper English people. Good movie.

Wild East (London)

[YohjiArmstrong · 12 March 2015]

WILD BILL is that rare British film about the working classes which doesn't wallow in poverty porn, sub-1960s social consciousness or tedious 'yoof' street-life. Instead it's a small story, set against the backdrop of the preparations for the London Olympics, almost Dickensian in it's combination of social realism with a happy ending. When Wild Bill, a feckless small time gangster, gets out of jail he finds his two sons living on their own and doing quite well without him. Circumstances intervene though in the shape of the government and so they're forced to live with one another, which none of them want. Inevitably he also wants to go on the straight and narrow but his old criminal mates have other ideas. It's competently shot, acted and told - which is more than most British films these days - and whilst it never ascends any heights it never plumbs any depths either; it's charming enough and has it's heart in the right place.

The best British gangster film of recent years. Poignant and pub-filled

[octopusluke · 6/10 · 21 December 2012]

Since Guy Ritchie's 1998 feature debut Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, British drama has been obsessed with clichéd gangster movies. They're relatively low cost to make, quick turnaround shoots with huge box office opportunity. Stylistically a mixture of fifties kitchen sink drama and the angry young men fronted British New Wave, the genre today has quickly become an outmoded self-parody, in desperate need of revitalising. Along comes venerable actor Dexter Fletcher. Rising from the fag ash of Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, his first foray into filmmaking takes the same hackneyed themes of…Hackney, and tells a new story full of satire, sincerity and heart.

After eight years behind bars, "Wild Bill" Hayward (Charlie Creed-Miles) returns home to his family in their tower block home. The wife is nowhere to be seen, abandoning their two children – paternal teenager Dean (Will Poulter) and his potty mouthed brother Jimmy (Sammy Williams) – for the sunny sights of Spain with her new boyfriend.

A tough nestle back in to normality, the broken home soon leads to social services reps (Jaime Winstone and Jason Flemyng) asking questions. They fend them off by pretending to play happy families, but the bossy Dean tells his work-shy dad to go straight and get a job. Doing porridge has changed the ex-drug dealer, but unfortunately the apple doesn't fall far from the tree as Jimmy is accosted by local thug Terry (Leo Gregory) as a drug mule. Fighting for his freedom on the outside, Bill steps back in to the game, saving his son and taking a quick crash course on parenthood in the process.

Whilst the story is far from revolutionary, Fletcher and his writing partner Danny King have crafted a truly excellent script, which is neither excessively ghettoized, nor saccharine. The good works lead to good performances too, particularly from Son of Rambow's Bill Poultner, showing great range as the apathetic teenager turned surrogate father figure. Virtually a non-budget movie, it's clear that Fletcher went through the phonebook and asked for a few favours of his supporting cast. Everyone's here: the compelling Olivia Williams as the concerned social worker, Sean Pertwee as the no-nonsense constable who through Bill in the slammer those eight years ago and, best of all, Andy Serkis puts down the motion capture play things for a menacing performance as an East London mafioso. I wish he put down the motion capture play things and started doing more straight-up screen performances; his animated face-acting is always a scene stealer.

Unfortunately there is some duds amongst all the finite work. Misfits' Iwan Rhoen is insufferable as a slang-tastic hoodlum – so much that he even starts to annoy his co-stars. Newcomer Liz White's turn as an abused call girl is too flippant and lacks character depth. The biggest disappointment comes from Wild Bill himself. Sublime as a drugged-up Billy incarnate in Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth, he is too emotionally uncharged throughout.

Evenstill, it's still a brilliant debut from Fletcher. Working on film sets since the young age of ten when he played Baby Face in Alan Parker's Bugsy Malone, he clearly has a deep insight of how to craft a story, shoot a scene and carve out some solid performances. All that, plus a great ska fever soundtrack and the best pub-fight sequence since Shaun of the Dead. It's as good as a gangster film can get. Let's hope he puts down the faux-Burberry scarves and trade them in for invigorated, ambitious new material.

Read more reviews now at www.366movies.com

Wild, often brilliant, directorial debut where mostly everything connects.

[johnnyboyz · 8/10 · 9 March 2019]

Dexter Fletcher's directorial debut "Wild Bill" is a proper piece of British kitchen sink drama for the 21st Century - a quasi-western, set in modern London, which draws on influence from the likes of "Unforgiven" and "Shane" whilst taking its snappy dialogue from something like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and doing everything a film feeding off the story telling cues of classical Hollywood cinema ought to. Additionally, and perhaps controversially for our era, the film dares to impart the idea that family is important and that not all men are vile useless pigs, (although they can still be pretty unpleasant), but are able to care; love; feel and clean up the mess the woman this time left behind.

Charlie Creed-Miles plays the eponymous 'wild' Bill, actually the name research tells me of a real-life American cowboy from the old West, who has served eight years in an Isle of Wight prison and has returned to the only other place in the world he knows: East London. What he returns to is nothing short of a mess: his two children, now 11 and 15, are living by themselves having had their mother walk out on them with a new man. Jimmy, his youngest, is failing school on account of not even attending, while Dean has already had to drop out to support the pair of them and now works on a construction site helping to build the 2012 Olympic Stadium. Try as I might, I could not spot any particular social commentary on the presence of such a thing.

Dean has little sympathy for his father, ordering him out and gone. Bill just wants to help. When he learns it was Dean's birthday shortly after getting out, he tries to host a party explaining that he felt bad for missing it. "Which one?" comes back the reply. What other characters say of Bill does not synchronise with what we come to observe of the man - he has lost something whilst being away, and is jokingly referred to as "mild" Bill by an accomplice. We know he made a mistake in the past - the barman at his local provides us with some information on what Bill used to do, namely drink a lot of beer and get into a mass brawl. It is worth noting, then, that when he sits and drinks with his friends Dickie (Neil Maskell) and Terry (Leo Gregory), he has resorted in this new epoch to drinking Coke as they down the amber nectar. Being on probation, and dead-set on not having to return to prison, Bill has to watch himself. To some extent, the film infers that prison works as a form of rehabilitation in Britain.

Having spun a highly effective opening act, Fletcher begins to poke and prod away at Bill's world when he decides to take up the challenge of the story: to remain in London rather than go to Scotland to work on an oil rig so as to get his children back on the right path. We're aware that Bill possesses tremendous potential to unleash Hell, but like Clint Eastwood's character in "Unforgiven", he seems to have moved on; he has either reformed or become too old or just wants to calmly go about his business now. Trouble introduces itself when Bill's newfound presence in the area seems to start hurting a drug business the aforementioned Terry has going with a mob-boss played by Andy Serkis. It manifests further when Terry begins using young Jimmy to transport drugs anonymously around the streets.

Like westerns of old, the film is unafraid of dealing in straight up heroes and villains. Despite the liberal age in which the film was made, and the liberal society in which it is set, the bad people use drugs and sell drugs, while the good people take care of their children, value family and strive for justice. Fletcher injects a real sense of completion, for example, when Bill; Dean; Jimmy and a female character with whom Bill has struck up a friendship - the mother the family unit had lacked up to that point - sit around a large table and consume a Chinese takeaway. The scene carries a particular sense of distinguishability. The enemies of this scene are as such because they wish to destroy it: whisking Bill to the opposite end of the country (or, better yet, back to prison); enslaving the boy to criminality and abusing the female.

To this extent, I am surprised there are so many positive reviews for the film - the earlier point about the film daring to depict a working-class man redeeming himself in the face of the woman neglecting her paternal duties worth reiterating; its depiction of a father coming home to sort out a mess and take care of his children worth reiterating. Fletcher balances each of the strands covering the characters wonderfully - Jimmy's falling in with the wrong crowd; Dean's relationship with a girl his age and, of course, Bill's redemption.

Fletcher peppers his films with various generic Western genre traits: when Bill first gets home to London, a tumbleweed-like item blows past to the strains of a Morricone-style choral moan, and we realise the hero is essentially here to clean up the town. Later on, prior to the metaphorical shootout finale, Bill looks out over the city to strains of a harmonica - Serkis' character's distinctive jet-black overcoats may even remind you of the coats Jack Palance's character wore in "Shane", while a name like 'Jimmy' may even be something you might find on an old American range way-back-when. Irrespective, "Wild Bill" is a bounding success for a debut film - very funny, very affecting and very well concocted.

Humdrum slice-of-life drama meets gangster thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 10 December 2014]

A hybrid of social drama and London gangster film, WILD BILL marks the directorial debut of actor and personality Dexter Fletcher. It's the story of the titular character who returns home to care for his two boys and who soon finds himself mixed up with his old criminal friends. The narrative draws towards an explosive climax in which Bill must decide whether friends or family come first.

I wasn't too sure about WILD BILL if I'm honest. I appreciate what the film was trying to do, but the whole narrative felt as familiar to me as the usual gangster story. You can't fault Fletcher's assured and confident direction, but the script lets it down; you never really care about what happens to Bill or his slightly obnoxious children.

The casting of Charlie Creed-Miles doesn't help; I've always felt that this guy was a poor man's James Nesbit, and I didn't like him from the outset. Lots of familiar faces pop up (like Andy Serkis) but it's the weaselly bad guys who really stand out, particularly the ever-nasty Iwan Rheon (A GAME OF THRONES). WILD BILL boasts an impressively choreographed climax but other than that it's all rather humdrum.

Jumped Into the 8th Spot for 2012's Top-25...

[witster18 · 8/10 · 22 July 2016]

Rare do films slip past my radar like this, but a netflix research project where I listed about 10-fairly well-received films that I hadn't seen, led me to watch "Wild Bill".

The formula is rather simple, and certainly nothing we haven't seen before, but then why in the heck does this work so well?

So only super-mild spoilers here in a 1 sentence synopsis;nothing you couldn't have gathered from reading the plot summary above. Bill returns home from a 8-year prison stint to find his two sons living unsupervised.

What makes "Wild Bill" work so well is the characters and their journeys. Bill, his eldest son, the youngest(Jimmy), and Bill's girlfriend all go through serious changes in the film. Every character-arc fits perfectly into the film's storyline, and the acting is spot-on to boot. Nothing seems forced or unrealistic.

Another great thing about the movie is the ending. It really builds towards a crescendo, and the ending is bittersweet. There's something magical about the emotional scene late in the film where Bill has no other choice, just the primal instinct to protect his boys.

At a point midway through the film, something clicks with Bill. We see two boys believing they were men when they really weren't, and one man not realizing how to be one until the moment when he recognized what was actually worth living for..

"Wild Bill" is a soulful, heart-breaking and mending story with some solid performances, a nice soundtrack, and great ending.

It's a Full Monty meets Green Street Hooligans, and it's every bit as good as both.

HIGhly recommended.

78/100

Bill trying to be mild

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 9 November 2013]

Actor Dexter Fletcher turns to directing. Armed with a small budget he seems to have turned to some friends such as Sean Pertwee, Andy Serkis and Olivia Williams to make cameos who appear for a scene or two.

The main performances are from Charlie Creed-Miles who is Wild Bill and his two sons played by Will Poulter and Sammy Williams.

Wild Bill has been released from a eight years stretch under licence and finds out that his two young children living alone for the last nine months. Their mother has abandoned them and hopped it to Spain.

In order for them not to be taken into care he has to be a father to them and gain their respect. Bill has had no presence in their lives due to his stint in jail.

Poulter who is better known through the Narnia films and We're the Millers gives the best performance as a 15 year old who has to work on a building site and care for his younger sibling.

He is matched by Creed- Miles. who has to take responsibility maybe for the first time in his life. Bill has to try to keep in the straight and narrow by avoiding the low life who wants him to go back to drug dealing and deal with the trouble his youngest son has got himself into.

The film is set in Stratford in the shadow of the London Olympic Stadium. It is set a year before the 2012 Olympics.

It does have a very cliché looking urban tower block London setting. It kinds of reminds you of all those Death Wish type films of the 1970s set in New York where you have muggers, drug dealers and rapists in every corner, far outnumbering just ordinary people getting on with their lives.

What is worse you have some white people speaking in black patois which is very irritating.

It is low budget movie making, the film has heart, a very good staged fight scene set in a pub and apart from a paper plane flying scene very little cinematic flair.

It could be something British directors such as Alan Clarke could had knocked out rather easily 30 years ago for the BBC's Play for Today strand.

Very touching (wiping off tears)

[lukgreen · 4/10 · 6 September 2012]

On the one hand, I loved the story. Irresponsible father reconnecting with his family and cleaning up the children's mess. But on the other hand he got busted in the end by law enforcers. Hey, are those law enforcers really so lawless? The law, I would like to hope, tries to be more humane and those who enforce it are put there to compensate its flaws. That what is usually praised in the films. As in 'Derailed', 'The Departed', let alone other innumerable examples. In those films police, when stumbles upon a conflict between the written law and justice, looks into the situation and makes a just choice. In 'Wild Bill' law enforcement is shown as some inhuman, mechanical force, careless of justice. And it cannot be even communicated with. They are just there and act as if they are robots. They represent some higher, inanimate power, or is it just safe for me to think of them as of something inanimate, because if I had believed that they are real alive people, it would destroy my worldview? I think that is why no one of police officers is ever shown in the film. Because no one would ever believe that human beings can act like this. All this reminds me of Dostoevski books, in which the author always puts characters in some totally unrealistic situations that make them to make hard decisions, to choose the less of two evils. Situations like the one Bill was put in. Such stories are very sob-inducing, hence are considered to be powerful stuff by readers and viewers. So that what 'Wild Bill' essentially is. A sob-inducing machine. I do not like that. I feel manipulated and stripped of my time. Although, I liked the acting.

Here and there.

[bombersflyup · 6/10 · 17 September 2023]

In Wild Bill, a street-toughened parolee finds his two boys abandoned by their mum and fending for themselves. Time to step up, or perhaps not.

The film's alright, though nothing special really. It's perhaps entirely absent of grit, given the subject matter and the ending's totally implausible. Walking in there knowing he's surrounded and for them all to lose to just one guy is ridiculous, we all know it doesn't end that way. Though the film with a well known cast, decent dialogue here and there and solid characterization, however the sons can be somewhat annoying at times. The acting's rather so so, I'd say.