Rage (1999)

Rage is a 1999 feature film directed and written by Nigerian-born Newton Aduaka. Rage is his debut feature. Fraser Ayres stars as Jamie, also known as Rage, a mixed race, angry youth living on a grim council estate in South London. He is part of a rap trio with his two friends Godwin (Shaun Parkes) and Thomas (John Pickard). Looking to escape through their music, they turn to crime in order to finance making a record.

The first draft of the script was written in four days in 1996 by Aduaka. Although it had received some interest, it was only after the success of Aduaka's short On the Edge at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 that making the film became a possibility. It nearly failed during principal photography due to the main finance being pulled just before filming began in September 1998.

Rage premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 1999 and got its UK premiere at the London Film Festival in November of the same year. The distribution rights were picked up by Metrodome Distribution and, after the film was recut to a shorter length, received its full theatrical release in January 2001.

Synopsis

Jamie, also known as Rage, is an angry young man of mixed race, who lives in Peckham, South London. He is part of a rap trio with Godwin ("G") and Thomas ("T"). In order to make a record, they need to get hold of £4000. Rage works as a shelf stacker. G is a pianist from a respectable black family. T is white and his parents are wealthy but his money is tied up in a trust.

Actors