County Lines (film)

County Lines
Directed byHenry Blake
Written byHenry Blake
Produced by
  • Victoria Bavister
  • David Broder
Starring
CinematographySverre Sørdal
Edited byPaco Sweetman
Music byJames Pickering
Release dates
  • October 8, 2019 (2019-10-08) (London)
  • December 4, 2020 (2020-12-04) (UK)
Running time
90 mins.
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

County Lines is a 2019 British drama film, written and directed by Henry Blake. The film stars Conrad Khan, Ashley Madekwe, Harris Dickinson, Marcus Rutherford, Chizzy Akudolu, Tabitha Milne-Price, Ebenezer Gyau, Johanna Stanton, Anthony Adjekum, and Stephen Leask. It premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2019, before being released in the UK and Ireland in 2020.[1]

Plot

A 14-year-old boy is groomed into a lethal nation-wide drug-selling enterprise which exploits vulnerable children and trafficks them across Britain.

Cast

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.60/10.[2]

Sarah Morgan of ON Magazine, who awarded the film a score of 8.7/10, applauds the film for telling "an engaging story full of compelling characters while educating us about the world at large".[3] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian awards the film 4/5 stars, highlighting the "excellent performances from Conrad Khan, Ashley Madekwe, and Harris Dickinson, and also Anthony Adjekum".[4]

Guy Lodge of Variety also lauds the film for "its tangible dead-end atmosphere, sharp sense of local geography and quietly expressive performances".[5] Demetrios Matheou of Screen Daily praises writer/director Henry Blake for "laying it all bare in his debut".[6] Trevor Johnston of Sight and Sound also lauds Blake for creating "a distinctive stylistic context", as well as commending him for his "11 years of experience counseling teens with drug problems".[7] And Euan Franklin of HeyUGuys rated it 4/5 stars and favorably compares the film via possessing "all the gritty minimalism and working-class politics of a Ken Loach movie".[8]

References

  1. ↑ "County Lines (2019)". Into Film. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "County Lines (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  3. ↑ Morgan, Sarah (13 April 2021). "County Lines (2019) — Film Review". ON Magazine (Yorkshire). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  4. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (3 December 2020). "County Lines review – dark tale of the burdens borne by drug mules". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  5. ↑ Lodge, Guy (27 June 2020). "County Lines: Film Review". Variety. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Matheou, Demetrios (14 October 2019). "County Lines: London Review". Screen International. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Johnston, Trevor (4 December 2020). "County Lines is fresh British drama that crosses new cinematic borders". Sight and Sound. Retrieved 22 July 2026 – via British Film Institute.
  8. ↑ Franklin, Euan (30 November 2020). "County Lines review". HeyUGuys. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
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