Shifty

Filmed on a shoestring in just 18 days, Shifty, a hit at the London film festival, follows a crack dealer living in the outskirts of London. When Chris (Daniel Mays) returns home to visit his best friend Shifty (Riz Ahmed), he gets a glimpse of Shifty's world - his duplicitous dealer (Jason Flemyng), his desperate customers and the orthodox Muslim brother he doesn't want to know about his dealing.

Wendy Ide, the Times: Eran Creevy squeezes more out of the minuscule £100,000 budget of his confident feature debut Shifty than many other film-makers could get from 30 times that amount. The production values are lo-fi but spirited performances, matey humour and an edgy authenticity carry the story. (Verdict: 3 stars out of 5)Dan Jolin, Empire: Writer/director Eran Creevy crafts a conventional tale (awkward homecoming for friend with dark past, good-hearted protagonist entangled in crime), but laces it with some wonderfully idiosyncratic detail. Both leads - Riz Ahmed as the eponymous dealer, Daniel Mays as his prodigal pal Chris - turn in warm performances, and while Creevy lets himself down a little with a forced twist, his film is an engaging and intelligently character-driven calling card. (Verdict: four stars out of five).

Cosmo Landesman, Sunday Times: This excellent debut from Eran Creevy looks at male friendship, the impact of drugs and how you can never hide from your past. The dialogue is a nice mix of Pinteresque menace, drug lingo, laddism and cracking one-liners. ‘That was a surreal sight,’ Shifty’s old mate Chris remarks of one old addict (Francesca Annis), ‘dealing crack to Miss Marple.’ (Verdict: 4 stars out of 5) ·