Yardie (2018)

Yardie (2018)

2018 101 Minutes

Drama | Crime

Jamaica, 1973. When a young boy witnesses his brother’s assassination, a powerful Don gives him a home. But 10 years later, when he’s sent to London, his past catches up to him.

Overall Rating

5 / 10
Verdict: So-So

User Review

  • Yardie mixes mellow character driven reggae with violently noisy bass. A directorial debut for the talented Idris Elba, and what a promising start this is. Flourishing in its Jamaican roots with a hint of Hackney on the side, Elba manages to adapt a novel whilst injecting some personal flavour into the story making for a tasty crime drama. After the death of his brother, an errand boy is hired to deliver a package where he is stuck at a symbolic crossroad. Walk down the path of righteousness as a good man, or seek vengeance and crumble down the path of the damned. It would be effortless to label this as a formulaic plot that hinges on shoot outs, drug smuggling and murder. And, to some extent, it does contain clichéd tendencies. However, Elba manages to spice up the drama with a rather balanced character portrayal that enables him to include action set pieces and personal reflection. It's a story that he holds close, the attention to detail makes that obvious. Never portraying any individual as an antagonist, each character is created to act as various strands of morality. The innocent bystanders trying to make a living on one side, and the drug lords on the other. This conjures up a multitude of decisions that tests the protagonist's moral compass, allowing substantial character development. Fantastic central performance from Ameen who expressively encapsulates the conflicting emotions within the character of "D". Graham also gave a decent supporting role. A large part of Yardie is the underground reggae music. Clearly an insight into Elba's motives for DJ-ing, it does provide a jamming beat that rolls with the narrative's pace. You can really feel it surge through the story. Although, there may have been too much focus on the music and not enough effort into producing an emotional response from certain pivotal scenes. Also, the heavy Jamaican accent did make the dialogue slightly difficult to comprehend. My ears are not attuned, evidently. Fortunately the well-paced narrative, directing technique and performances are clear indications that Elba is more than welcome to sit in the director's chair.