LAVA

Year: 2000
UK: Feature Film Company
Cast: Joe Tucker, Nicola Stapleton, James Holmes, Tom Bell, Stephen Callender-Ferrier, Jacob Davis, Tameka Empson, Grahame Fox, Tyler Garni, Leslie Grantham, Mark Leadbetter, Johann Myers, Golda Rosheuvel, Dennis Titus, Gregor Truter
Director: Joe Tucker
Country: UK
UK: 99 mins
UK Certificate: 18 contains frequent strong violence, very strong language and drugs use
UK Release Date: 25 January 2002

Synopsis

Smiggy (Joe Tucker), one of life's also-rans, and Philip (James Holmes), who's not even in the race, set out on a simple mission to avenge Philip's brother Stevie (Harry Iggulden), who after a fight with Darrel (Grahame Fox) is left in silent, staring and starved. They hatch a plan over breakfast, beautifully cooked by the brother's drunk and defeated dad (Tom Bell) and go shopping for the appropriate kit.

This leads them to Mr Aladdin (Leslie Grantham) from whom they purchase a firearm: 1 1920's Spanish revolver, rusty and dodgy mechanism. And its off on the 'field manoeuvres' they go.

Can they kick it? No they can't....

Discovering the place is right in the middle of the Notting Hill Carnival, Smiggy's the first to arrive at Darrel's flat. Darrel isn't there, but his girlfriend Julie (Nicola Stapleton) is. She's waiting for Neville (Mark Leadbetter) the drug-dealing wigga from Reigate. And she's waiting for him because she has just stolen a kilo of Silver Leaf cocaine from Claude and his Yardies and wants to sell it on. But she's never met Neville so when Smiggy rings the bell...you get the picture.

Smiggy being the gentleman he is, when she offers him a line he takes it. Now cocaine, in the hands of most people, just makes them daft. In the hands of Smiggy it releases all his all his heroic macho fantasies. When Neville does arrive and gets lippy, Smiggy shoots him. When Claude (Dennis Titus) the angry Yardie arrives looing for his Silver Leaf and revenge , Smiggy shoots him too.

In the chaos that ensues Julie gets shot. Julie's friend Maxine (Tameka Empson) gets shot. Claude's right hand man Curtis (Johann Myers) gets shot. Smiggy also shoots Smiggy. One person does survive though, Darrel, although he might have a problem explaining this one away to his probation office...