''Wild Bill'' is a 2011 British crime comedy drama film directed by Dexter Fletcher and starring Charlie Creed-Miles and

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Go ...

. It was released in UK cinemas on 23 March 2012.

Plot

Bill ( Charlie Creed-Miles) is paroled after serving an eight year prison sentence for drug related offences. Returning to his home in East London Bill finds his two sons, 15-year-old Dean (

Will Poulter William Jack Poulter (born 28 January 1993) is a British actor. He first gained recognition for his role as Eustace Scrubb in the fantasy adventure film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (2010). He received critical ...

) and 11-year-old Jimmy (Sammy Williams) abandoned by their mother, Dean having dropped out of school to work and take care of Jimmy on his own. Dean makes it clear to Bill that he is not welcome in either his or Jimmy's lives. Bill's former criminal associates Dickie ( Neil Maskell) and Terry ( Leo Gregory) offer Bill some drug dealing. Bill is on license and refuses, not wanting to return to prison. Bill instead intends to go to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and work on the oil rigs. During a parole meeting Bill finds out that his sons, under aged and without a legal guardian will be surrendered to

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...

. Reluctant to be a father to Dean and Jimmy, Bill still insists on going to Scotland; Dean reveals that he has confiscated his drugs and threatens to tell the police if Bill doesn't remain. Despite the number of challenges ahead of him, such as finding suitable work as well as Jimmy's delinquent behaviour, Bill is able to find legal work and bond with Jimmy. Drug lord Glen (

) who Bill went to prison for, is unnerved by Bill's insistence on going straight and being in his territory; believing his behaviour will upset his business arrangements. Jimmy's delinquency and tendency to abscond from school to be a drug mule for Pill (

Iwan Rheon Iwan Rheon (, ; born 13 May 1985) is a Welsh actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Bellamy in the E4 series '' Misfits'', Ramsay Bolton in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', and Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Ma ...

), also an employee of Glen's brother Terry, threatens to undo Bill's progress. One evening, Jimmy is nearly caught and arrested for possessing a large amount of cocaine. Jimmy disposes of the drugs to avoid arrest but this puts him in a bad position with Terry. Dean visits his love interest Steph ( Charlotte Spencer) where the two nearly have sex before her father unexpectedly comes home. Jimmy, who had followed Dean to Steph's home, notices a large amount of cash in the house and steals it to pay off Terry, though the amount stolen isn't nearly enough. Terry demands Jimmy work off the remaining balance, threatening to burn down his flat if he doesn't. When Steph recognizes the theft she immediately blames Dean for it, who in turn surmises that it was Jimmy. Roxy ( Liz White) who is one of Terry's prostitutes confides in Bill that Jimmy is working for Terry. After a lengthy search for Jimmy, Bill corners and confronts his son and promises him that he will end up in prison just like his father if he continues down the path he is on. Bill returns to Steph's home with the stolen money, who in turn returns to make amends and reconcile with Dean. Terry demands that Bill meet him at a local

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

; Bill rationalising that in returning the drugs Jimmy had on him he can release Jimmy from Terry's control. Terry has other intentions, including never releasing Jimmy from his obligations as well as killing Bill for his reluctance to leave. Bill easily dispatches Terry and his goons, many of whom abandon him in the face of "Wild Bill". Returning home with Jimmy, Bill is intercepted by Glen. Bill reaffirms his commitment to his honest and law abiding life, though his earlier fight obviously violates his conditions of parole. Knowing he will be sent back to prison, Dean, Roxy, Steph and Jimmy see him off; Dean promising that he is welcome back when he returns. Inside the police car, Bill asks the officer if he has children as he wells up. Bill then begins to smile and laugh, remaining optimistic about his eventual return this time.

Cast

* Charlie Creed-Miles as Wild Bill *

as Dean * Sammy Williams as Jimmy *

as Pill * Charlotte Spencer as Steph * Morgan Watkins as Viktoras * Rad Kaim as Jonas * Aaron Ishmael as Boz * Liz White as Roxy *

Hardeep Singh Kohli Hardeep Singh Kohli (born 21 January 1969) is a Scottish presenter of Sikh heritage who has appeared on various radio and television programmes. Background Kohli was born in London and moved to Glasgow, Scotland, when he was four. His parents ...

as Raj * Neil Maskell as Dickie * Leo Gregory as Terry * Mark Monero as Freddy * Peter-Hugo Daly as Keith *

Olivia Williams Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is a British actress who has appeared in British and American films and television. After studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years followed by three years at the Royal Shakesp ...

as Kelly *

Jaime Winstone Jaime Margaret Winstone (born 6 May 1985) is an English actress, best known for her roles in '' Kidulthood'', '' Dead Set'', '' After Hours'' and her portrayal of Barbara Windsor in ''Babs''. Early life and education Winstone was born in Camd ...

as Helen * Elly Fairman as Miss Treedley *

as Glen * Graham Fletcher-Cook as Policeman *

Sean Pertwee Sean Carl Roland Pertwee''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' (born 4 June 1964) is an English actor, narrator and producer with an extensive career since the 1980s in television and cinema productions. He is known ...

as Jack (Policeman) * Lee Whitlock as Boss * Billy Holland as Mini Hoodie * Dexter Fletcher as Mysterious Barry

Production

The film was shot primarily in the East End of London. Fletcher cites directors such as Emir Kusturica,

Franklin Schaffner Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for ''Patton'' (1970), and is known for the films ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), ''Nicholas and Al ...

, Gerard Johnson and films like ''

Black Cat, White Cat ''Black Cat, White Cat'' ( sr, Црна мачка, бели мачор, Crna mačka, beli mačor) is a 1998 Serbian romantic black comedy film directed by Emir Kusturica. It won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival. ...

'', ''

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

'' and '' Underground'' as influences.

Reception

''Wild Bill'' holds a 100% rating on review site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10.

References

External links

* *
Screen Daily
{{Dexter Fletcher , state=collapsed 2011 films British prison drama films Films set in London Films directed by Dexter Fletcher 2011 directorial debut films 2010s prison drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films