Growing up amidst the intense violence of 1970s Kingston, the young D (Antwayne Eccleston) is traumatized by witnessing his brother Jerry’s murder. He's then taken in by Fox (Sheldon Shepherd), a local crime boss, who sends him to London. There, he reconnects with Yvonne (Shantol Jackson), his former girlfriend, who had previously left with their son – someone D hasn’t seen for years. Things seem to be going well for…

_Yardie_ marks Idris Elba’s directorial debut and unfortunately lands as a rather commonplace crime drama filled with familiar gangster movie elements. While there are some merits to be found, and the direction is reasonably competent, it largely feels shallow, offering little new or unexpected. It's disappointing because I am a fan of Elba’s work, but much of his acting since *Stringer Bell* has been underwhelming –…