Release Date – 9th February 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 42 minutes, Director – George Amponsah
20-year-old Ash (Stephen Odubola) is part of a street robbery gang in order to raise money to support his family, however he quickly learns that it’s a world that’s very difficult to leave.
As a chaotic robbery of a jewellery shop attempts to unfold a woman stops outside the scene to tell one of the criminals “your mother would be ashamed!” In the moment it’s a line that seems quite out of place and that perhaps the scene could have done without, to keep a consistent feeling that things are going wrong. It’s also one of a number of lines which causes Gassed Up to feel as if it could do with another draft or two. To additionally allow it to feel more of its own than a number of British gang and teenage crime films it seems to be inspired by.
Over a rather bumpy course we follow 20-year-old Ash (Stephen Odubola). Looking for money to support his younger sister (Rawdat Quadri), who he looks after, and hopefully get his mum into rehab, he finds himself a part of a street gang, swiping phones from people’s hands as they speed by on mopeds. The phones and other stolen items get taken back to the boss (Jelena Gavrilovic) and some of the money share given out to the group. However, these are just early days for the small gang of friends who seemingly get a good kick out of this method of fast-and-easy money, bigger things are around the corner such as shop robberies.
As things escalate Ash becomes increasingly hesitant about his place in the group, however finds himself threatened to stay. He wants to protect his family, and paper-thin relationship with girlfriend Kelly (Mae Muller), but what’s the easier way to do this: stay or leave? As this question bounces around the protagonists mind we see more of the criminal world he finds himself in, and the repercussions it has on his friends too. Yet, with each location, party or club scene the film provides little to properly connect with due to how familiar it all feels. Even when the film goes on a tangent for a scene or two or brings up an aside, often relating to Ash’s relationship or something else about his personal life, the visible bumps mean that there’s little emotional engagement to be formed and so we simply watch as things meander along in rather slow fashion.
Even when things seem to be picking up, even if just to being generally fine, something else comes along to knock things down. Whether it be another aside, out-of-place-feeling line of dialogue or even just something lacking subtlety – when the villainous boss is truly angry and shows the threat she can pose to the group she wears a giant spider necklace. Things just never come together during Gassed Up, causing it to fall behind with need of a more polished screenplay and fuel to pick up the pace and bring some energy.
In need of another draft or two Gassed Up falters with an over-familiar set of themes which never manage to create a connection with the viewer, making for an even slower set of events.
Just A Little Bit Random 