‘This is no way to live…’
Upon release in 1996, a ragtag bunch of pearl clutchers and moralisers criticised Trainspotting for glamourising drug use. This is the same Trainspotting that sees one character hallucinate that a dead baby is crawling on his ceiling. Shifty channels that same dark energy to produce something that is powerful, wince inducing and, at times, difficult to sit through…
Shifty (Riz Ahmed) is a former small time weed dealer who has graduated to the world of cocaine. When his old friend Chris (Daniel Mays) comes over to visit, things start to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, Trevor (Jay Simpson), one of Shifty’s customers, stalks around town desperate to score.
Clearly, time has ensured that Shifty has a more impressive cast now that it did back in 2009. Riz Ahmed has progressed all the way to Hollywood, while Daniel Mays has become one of Britain’s most recognisable TV actors. The addition of seasoned veterans like Jason Flemyng and Jay Simpson is also welcome. Together, this ensemble cast produce a piece of work that is nasty, but also shot through with green shoots of hope. Mays and Ahmed bounce off each other, perfectly portraying the uneasy alliance between past friendships and present hardships. And as for glamourising drug use… Christ, Shifty should be used as an anti-drug PSA across the globe. As Shifty moves around town dropping white bags off to various flats and bedsits, we are given an insight into his customer base. Desperate, lonely and on the verge of something terrible. Nobody wants to live a life like this.
In the end, Shifty is a compelling, if slightly derivative take on drug culture and the terrible effect it has wrought on the working classes. Not always an easy watch, but a necessary one.