Wild Bill (Charlie Creed-Miles) has spent 8 years in prison. He has returned home and doesn't want to go back. He has discovered his wife has run off to Spain and his 11 an 15 year old sons James (Sammy Williams) and Dean (Will Poulter) are fending for themselves and would prefer not having their estranged father in their life. Bill wants to run off to Scotland and get away from everything, but child services has a different idea.The family is thrust together and Bill tries to keep things clean in his old crack dealing neighborhood which doesn't go too well.Like most UK productions the drama sometimes crosses lines with a twisted dark comedy that looks like tragedy. Good acting. Andy Serkis of LOTR fame has a small role as the big boss.PARENTAL GUIDE: F-bombs, near sex, no nudity (bra /panties Charlotte Spencer) adult themes

This slice of British realism marked the directorial debut of actor Dexter Fletcher and has all the propensity for sentimentality but Fletcher keeps things suitably tough and the highest compliment I can pay it is that it's as good as the best of British television. Fletcher also co-wrote the film, (with Danny King), and brings both a good deal of humour and tenderness to proceedings. He also draws excellent performances from his cast. In the title role, Charlie Creed-Miles is outstanding as the father, recently released from prison, trying to forge some kind of relationship with his two young sons, (Will Poulter and Sammy Williams, both first-rate). Worth seeking out.

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.

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.