Cut-price drama doesn't fall short on class.

SHIFTY **** 15

WHAT is it about low budget movies and London council estates? Like love and marriage, you can't have one without the other.

Or the prerequisite inner city hopelessness of squandered lives being ruined by drugs.

Cleverly, writer-director Eran Creevy realises this and yes, Shifty is low budget, and yes, set in a London council estate, and yes, involves drugs. But the film-maker avoids the pitfall of clich and focuses instead on character and themes of friendship, loyalty and redemption with results that are far more subtle and effective at getting his point across.

Plus he's hired in some decent acting talent. Danny Mays plays Chris, the good guy who returns to his home town after four years to catch up with his old pal Shifty (Riz Ahmed), a smart lad with four A Levels who has been dazzled by the fast cash of the dead end drug dealing game.

Based on Creevy's experiences growing up, the film boasts some brilliant, believable performances, particularly the two central leads and a surreal cameo from seasoned actress Francesca Annis as an ageing crack smoking hippy. It's a weird moment watching her character get high on the devil's candy, but obviously the acclaimed actress is well up for lending her support to the film, which shines on every level.

An absorbing, well-written movie shot on a budget of just pounds 100,000 in just 18 days.

The film contains strong language and scenes of drug taking.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE ***** PG

OK, I know From Russia With Love is on the telly a dozen times a year and you can buy the DVD for less than a fiver, but do yourself a favour and get to the nearest cinema screening this fully restored, digital version of the Bond classic, marking the centenary of the birth of late Bond producer Cubby Broccoli. Forget Daniel Craig. Yes, he's a good 007 - pecs, trunks, tough, gritty, etc - but he's not Connery.

For his second outing with a licence to thrill, the secret agent must find Russian decoding machine Lektor before the evil SPECTRE organisation.

This is the one where he dodges Rosa Klebb's poison-tipped shoe and gets past Robert Shaw's villainous Donald "Red" Grant. Honestly, nobody does it better.

CAPTION(S):

TIMES: Danny and Riz as Chris Shifty