---
title: "Shifty"
year: 2008
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/shifty"
fi1m_id: "shifty"
imdb_id: "tt1104126"
tmdb_id: 21900
wikidata_id: "Q7496281"
fi1m_score: 77
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-10-01T21:03:18.372495+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-01T21:03:34.427067+00:00"
region: "BR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Shifty (2008)

Directed by Eran Creevy · 1h 25m · Thriller

## Identity

Shifty

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/shifty
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** shifty
- **IMDb ID:** tt1104126
- **TMDB ID:** 21900
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7496281
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104126/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/21900, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7496281

**Fi1m score: 77** · Critics 76 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Riz Ahmed makes a drug dealer such good company that the crime plot occasionally feels like an interruption

> Riz Ahmed and Daniel Mays make this compact crime thriller worth the evening. Eran Creevy has a persuasive feel for people and place, though the plotting occasionally strains harder than the performances need it to.

## Synopsis

In contemporary London, Shifty (Riz Ahmed) is involved in a drugs trade whose dangers sit alongside the ordinary business of getting through the day. His relationship with Chris (Daniel Mays) brings friendship into a story of crime, with Glen (Jason Flemyng) among the people sharing their surroundings. Shifty’s intelligence and personable manner make him something other than a threatening figure, but neither quality removes the consequences of his occupation. Around him, encounters shift between humour and unease as the pressures of his criminal life become harder to put aside.

## Review

*Shifty* is a good crime thriller with the sense to spend time on the people involved. Writer-director Eran Creevy finds humour and affection in material that could easily have become another exercise in threatening behaviour. The film has its share of danger, but it also allows its central character to be intelligent, companionable and worth listening to. At 85 minutes, it gives those qualities room without making a lengthy business of introducing them.

Riz Ahmed is the principal reason it works. His Shifty has a warmth that complicates our response to his involvement in drugs, and Ahmed makes his intelligence apparent without turning every exchange into a demonstration of cleverness. We warmed to him more than we expected, because Ahmed allows the pleasure of his company to survive our disapproval of his occupation. That matters: the suspense needs us to care about this particular person, rather than merely recognise that crime is dangerous.

Daniel Mays, as Chris, gives Ahmed someone with whom that ease feels persuasive. Their chemistry makes the friendship worth watching in its own right, without requiring the thriller machinery to keep intruding. Mays’s comparatively understated presence helps here; he leaves space for the exchanges to feel shared rather than competed over. Some viewers may find him too subdued, but we found the contrast useful, particularly when the humour lets both performances relax.

Creevy’s attention to London’s less celebrated surroundings gives the film a welcome sense of everyday life continuing beyond its central story. Ed Wild’s cinematography makes those places worth looking at without requiring them to become tourist attractions. The interest lies in making an ordinary urban landscape hold the screen, and the film manages that with assurance. Against the familiar habits of urban crime cinema, its reluctance to make drugs and violence look desirable is particularly welcome.

The dialogue is less consistently assured. Creevy sometimes leans on swearing when a more individual choice of words would tell us more about the speaker, and the accumulation can flatten otherwise distinctive company. The plotting, too, becomes conspicuous when it pushes for a complication the characters have not quite earned. We will not describe it, but it briefly makes us conscious of the writer arranging events, where the performances have been making everything seem unforced.

Kim Gaster’s editing helps keep the film moving, and the balance between suspense and odd humour is generally well judged. Molly Nyman and Harry Escott provide the music, with Erik Rehl responsible for production design. The film’s strongest claim remains the believable surroundings and the actors inhabiting them; its modest scale suits that concentration. It does not need a larger canvas, although the script could have trusted its quieter attractions more often.

Those reservations keep this from being an unqualified recommendation, but they do not spoil the company. Ahmed and Mays give Creevy something sturdier than a succession of threats: a relationship we want to keep watching when the immediate danger subsides. Choose it for the performances and the short running time, and allow the plotting a little more forgiveness than its people require.

*Fi1m score 77, published 1 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to Shifty, finding a persuasive, character-led crime drama that avoids glamorising drugs and violence. Praise centres on the performances, particularly Riz Ahmed’s warmth and intelligence and his convincing rapport with Daniel Mays; several reviews also value the film’s grounded portrait of British urban life. Its energy, humour and attention to overlooked London landscapes help distinguish it from comparable dramas, with the suspense drawing strength from characters the critics find credible.

Reservations are limited, and the spread runs from enthusiastic to mixed rather than sharply divided. Empire finds a twist forced but remains engaged by the characters and performances. Variety offers the clearest dissent on Mays, finding him flat where several others single him out for praise; it also objects to the expletive-heavy dialogue and finds the film’s scope modest, while admiring the supporting cast.

## Straight answers

**Is Shifty worth watching?**

*Shifty* is worth watching for its believable friendship and compact crime suspense, and we score it 77. Riz Ahmed and Daniel Mays make the company more rewarding than the occasionally strained plotting; we recommend it especially to viewers who prefer an urban thriller to spend time with its people rather than hurry between threats.

**How long is Shifty, and what is it rated?**

*Shifty* runs 1h 25m. It is a thriller film.

**Where can I watch Shifty in Brazil?**

*Shifty* is not on any streaming or rental service in Brazil at the moment. It is available in 2 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Shifty, and is it suitable for children?**

*Shifty* carries a UK 15 certificate and is not suitable for children under 15, with drug dealing, frequent swearing and crime-related danger central to its story. We find its unease tempered by humour and friendship, but that warmth does not remove the adult subject matter; the film also avoids making drugs and violence look desirable.

**How does Shifty compare to La Haine?**

*Shifty* is a warmer, more compact crime thriller than [*La Haine*](https://film.one/film/la-haine), which we recommend more broadly for its sharply observed friendship amid anger and hostility. Both make urban surroundings and human company matter, but *Shifty* has more noticeable plotting weaknesses; choose it for Ahmed and Mays, or *La Haine* for the stronger drama about three friends after suburban riots.

### Reviews we read (9)

- **Evening Standard**, The Standard (80/100, inferred): The critic finds Shifty a stylish, substantial and unusually authentic British urban thriller. They praise its natural performances, particularly Danny Mays’s. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/shifty-a-dose-of-london-s-dark-side-7413911.html)
- **Radio Times**, Stella Papamichael (4/5): Papamichael welcomes the film as an antidote to British urban dramas that glamorize drugs and violence. She praises Riz Ahmed’s warm, bright portrayal of Shifty as someone who strayed into crime rather than chose it. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2jj61v/shifty/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (80/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film shrewd and engaging, and better than comparable British urban dramas. He particularly praises the persuasive chemistry between Riz Ahmed and Daniel Mays. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/apr/24/shifty-film-review)
- **Time Out**, Wally Hammond (4/5): Hammond presents the film as a welcome jolt in realist crime cinema. The standfirst singles out its uncompromising, hard-edged approach, though the review text is unavailable. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/shifty)
- **Total Film**, Ellen E Jones (4/5): The review finds Shifty absorbing, moving and authentic, and praises its grounded portrayal of modern British life. It singles out Eran Creevy’s cinematic vision of London’s overlooked landscapes and Daniel Mays’s performance. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/shifty-review/)
- **Empire**, Dan Jolin (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film engaging and intelligently character-driven, despite a forced twist. They praise the warm performances of Riz Ahmed and Daniel Mays and the film’s idiosyncratic details. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shifty-review/)
- **Variety**, Derek Elley (65/100, inferred): Elley finds the film consistently better than its tiny budget suggests, while noting that it never reaches beyond its modest scope. He praises the supporting cast but criticizes the expletive-heavy dialogue and Daniel Mays’ flat performance. [Read](https://variety.com/2008/film/reviews/shifty-1200471169/)
- **Screen Daily**, Fionnuala Halligan (64/100, inferred): The review’s verdict is unavailable because the article is behind a paywall. Its praise or criticism of any particular aspect cannot be determined from the visible text. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/shifty-/4043997.article)
- **Eye for Film**, Anton Bitel (85/100, inferred): The review calls the film an impressive, energetic debut with an intelligent and charismatic protagonist. It praises the convincing performances, hot pace, and balance of suspense with absurd character humour. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/shifty-film-review-by-anton-bitel)

## Details

- **Director:** Eran Creevy
- **Director:** Eran Creevy
- **Writer:** Eran Creevy
- **Cinematography:** Ed Wild
- **Editor:** Kim Gaster
- **Music:** Harry Escott, Molly Nyman
- **Production design:** Erik Rehl
- **Costume design:** Rebecca Duncan
- **Producer:** Ben Pugh, Rory Aitken
- **Cast:** Riz Ahmed as Shifty; Daniel Mays as Chris; Jason Flemyng as Glen; Francesca Annis as Valerie; Nitin Ganatra as Rez; Jay Simpson as Trevor; Dannielle Brent as Jasmine; Kate Groombridge as Loretta
- **Runtime:** 1h 25m
- **First release (the UK):** 24 October 2008
- **Genres:** Thriller
- **Box office:** $245,426

## Where to watch in Brazil

Not streaming, renting or buying in Brazil at the last check.

Also available in: CA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *A Room for Romeo Brass* (1999): Friendship and uncomfortable humour give this British drama its gathering menace.
- *Pusher* (1996): A Copenhagen dealer discovers how quickly everyday business can become frightening.
- *The Friends of Eddie Coyle* (1973): Small-time criminals talk business while friendship becomes increasingly difficult to rely upon.
- *La Haine* (1995), Fi1m 90: Three friends make volatile company in a sharply observed urban landscape. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/la-haine.md)
- *Blue Story* (2019): Another London crime drama that gives friendship weight before violence intervenes.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/shifty