Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

100 Streets Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 6, 2017

100 Streets is a well meaning movie, nicely performed, and satisfactorily constructed, but it doesn't have much of anything new to say. These "separate but congruent and lightly intersecting story" films seem a dime a dozen anymore, and with each passing one the connections between the characters and events seem ever more tangential and, sometimes, unnecessary to the stories' needs. 100 Streets doesn't connect them in any deeply purposeful or profound way, at least not directly, anyway. While some of the characters meet or cross paths -- sometimes with depth, sometimes they're merely, literally, just walking by -- it's more up to the viewer to decide how and why they've been packaged together. Despite those few on-film meetings and whatever connections the audience can make, the three stories in 100 Streets play better individually as short films that offer slice-of-life insight into modern society, relationships, and the struggles everyday people face in the search for meaning and purpose in life than they do collectively, at least as they're edited together and brought together in the film.

Max (Idris Elba) is a national celebrity, an ex-rugby star who has turned his fame into charitable work that puts him on an even higher pedestal than his successes on the field. He's handsome and draws plenty of attention from the ladies, but behind-the-scenes his life is crumbling. He's cheating on his wife Emily (Gemma Arterton) and she, too, is seeing another man. His drug addiction and growing dependence on fame and recognition take a toll, and more than his wife it's his two children who will suffer the most. George (Charlie Creed-Miles) and his wife Kathy (Kierston Wareing) desperately want to adopt, but his past transgressions are getting in the way. His worldview is ever-dimming and an accident will challenge him to his core. Kingsley (Franz Drameh) is a thug whose life begins to turn around when he meets a positive-minded mentor named Terence (Ken Stott).

100 Streets delivers its missions statement up-front by way of Kingsley's personal musings: it's a film bout life's casual ebbs and flows and the sudden moments that bring great change and alter its course of events. It's as generic as it sounds but the movie's structural presentation does, at least, support the central concept. The three focal characters undergo, or are undergoing as the film begins, great change in their lives. Crumbling families, daily struggles, past sins catching up with them, and new devastating blows to come define the movie, but what also defines it, and the characters, is how they handle the pressure, how they pull themselves up from it all, what they can take away from the hardships they encounter. Characters are emotionally and, sometimes, physically beaten down by life, by the choices they make and by circumstances almost, or entirely, out of their control. They deal with addiction, crime, and coping with the curveballs life throws their way. They seek meaning, whether deliberately or not, that's always central to their progressions. They encounter stiff resistance, and it's how they counter that resistance, or maybe give in to it, that shapes their character. It's thematically fine, and the characters and their challenges are interesting enough to hold the movie together, but the film lacks any kind of memorable spark or novel commentary to make it stands apart from others of its kind.

Each of the three stories, despite somewhat limited, bur fairly equal amongst them, screen time, feels fully fleshed out. The script defines the characters with enough complexity and depth to make them matter, including who they are and once were and their relationships with various people in the film. It's Kingsley's story that finds the most depth, though certainly, as with everything else in the film, it's not particularly original, dramatically creative, or satisfying beyond its arc in the movie, i.e. it's not something that will stick with viewers days, weeks, even years after the credits roll. But it's a positive story of transformation, mentorship, encouragement, and hope. It doesn't take any surprising turns and even its most critical turning point doesn't come as much of a shock (but certainly an emotional blow), but the movie wrings out all the core drama it can from the relationship and brings the movie a sense of honest humanity. The other stories are even a little more paint-by-numbers. The celebrity with a drug addiction and crumbling home life isn't all that interesting, and the man struggling to get by and forced to confront a worst-case scenario hits a few quality emotional high and low points, but neither of them resonate with the same depth as Kingsley's story.

The movie's technical merits satisfy, particularly its performances. Idris Elba, always capable of commanding the screen, does so again here, exploring his wayward character with plenty of believable traction through his journey through personal deterioration. Charlie Creed-Miles delivers a smart and natural performance as George. Franz Drameh and Ken Stott share superb, and story-critical, chemistry along the film's most satisfying arc. Meanwhile, London itself feels not so much like proverbial nonliving character but the movie does well to explore its cultural flavors and offerings, not necessarily overtly, but enough that the characters feel organic in their environments, that influences and potential changes come at them from every corner of their lives.

100 Streets Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

100 Streets was digitally photographed. Sony's 1080p transfer handles the source well, though there are some mild annoyances along the way. Noise can range from slight to severe, spiking in lower, warmer light. Trace macroblocking is evident, and smudgy corners aren't uncommon. Colors appear mildly desaturated and cool. Skies appear washed out. The palette finds enough vibrancy in some of its brightest shades -- an orange safety vest, red headphones that play an important role in the movie -- but it's more or less a little dialed down. Detailing is adequate. Rarely does serious complexity find its way in, but general facial features, whether Arterton's freckles or Elba's facial hair, are adequately defined. Environments are suitably sharp and the various city locations find enough textural richness to satisfy format demands, but this isn't a wonderland for high definition detailing. Black levels and skin tones both satisfy. This is a fairly run-of-the-mill transfer for a modest digital shoot.

100 Streets Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

100 Streets isn't an overly dynamic movie from a sonic perspective. Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless presentation handles the film's needs well enough. Music is well spaced along the front, not offering any serious surround engagement but delivering a quality low end support element. Ambient effects are likewise nicely spaced and spread. Surrounds are, again, not seamlessly or fully engaged but general city din, applause, chirping birds, and other light elements drift into the stage and adequately define the mood. The film's most prominent effects comes later on. A gunshot rings out with impressive force and depth, followed by a rattling train that powers along the stage's front end. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized, though there are a few occasions when it comes across as lightly muddy or sharp-edged.

100 Streets Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

100 Streets contains one supplement. A Look Inside '100 Streets' (1080p, 14:05) examines the movie's diversity of characters, quality of script, logistics behind the shoot, characters and performances, making a few key moments, dealing with external environmental sounds, charity work, and more. No DVD or digital versions are included.

100 Streets Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

100 Streets satisfies at its broadest qualities, but it's not a movie that's likely to resonate all that long after watching. The story confluences aren't usually well defined or even integral to the plot. That said, there's an interesting connection between the George and Max stories at the very end that's very subtle but engenders a thought-provoking exercise about reality versus perception. The individual stories are smart, well acted, and generally engaging, but the movie feels less interconnected and more like a trio of inter-edited shorts. Sony's Blu-ray offers decent video and audio along with a single catchall supplement. Worth a look.