Hush Your Mouth review (DVD) ★★½

When Darren decides that enough is enough and threatens to speak out against what his fellow gang members are doing, he is killed. His younger brother Leo (Maza) is grief-stricken and struggles to cope, without a job and without much of a home life. Suspicion for Darren's death falls on Leo's friend Isaiah (Dowden) but evidence slowly begins to point the finger at someone else.

With its occasional voiceover narration, Hush Your Mouth states from the off that this isn't a story of revenge and to an extent this is to be applauded. Far too many gang-related films rely on violence to settle violent actions so it's refreshing that this low-budget British effort written and directed by Tom Tyrwhitt focuses on how Leo faces his loss. But just because life is not simple or fair, that needn't mean giving up.

Despite its good intentions and the fact that this is well acted and competently directed, there's not quite a strong enough to drive the narrative forward and maintain tension. Too slow to feel like a thriller the mystery there is is introduced slightly too late and doesn't have a big enough impact on events to make it a truly memorable story. So while it's an admirable take on a well-worn storyline, in the end Hush Your Mouth lacks that edge to make it the decent urban drama it aspires to being.