London, England in the 1990s is not just a tourist destination for nice, domestic folk; London is a city of millions renowned & infamous for its wild parties, drug scene, & all-night raves. London can be a very dangerous place.
"Underground" centers on 15-year-old Rat (Robert), played by Billy Smith, a cute lad who rides his bicycle around the metropolis yet deals Ecstasy & Cocaine to a growing group of customers. Rat's personal drug of choice is marijuana. He's worn out his welcome with his mother, who has essentially let him "fly the coop." So he's staying with his sister, & trying her patience also.
The usual setting in this very good film is the plethora of nightly raves, attended by hundreds & hundreds of youths dancing up a sweat to loud music, swallowing drugs periodically, and shedding some of their clothes as the heat rises.
And then there are the Rave organizers, basically London gangsters who dole out drugs to the youths, for a price, of course.
Into these raves Rat insinuates himself, selling Ecstasy & Cocaine to stoned teenagers; being heterosexual, Rat grows fond of a girl named Skye, played by Zoe Smale.
Rat's selling his wares right under the noses of the gangsters/organizers! To say this is dangerous is the understatement of the century.
When 4 of the organizers find out Rat is dealing within their territory, they "pay a little visit" to Rat's sister's apartment, which they trash completely. Now Rat has no place to stay!
He moves in with a bigger-time drug dealer, whose apartment is strewn with drug addicts in their 30s & 40s. To say that a cute, 15-year-old lad is vulnerable amongst these folk is, perhaps, stating what is painfully obvious. And sure enough, one man feeds Rat drugs he's not accustomed to taking, smiles at him seductively, and urges, "You should try everything!"
Filmmaker Paul Spurrier wisely chooses grainy film-stock for some of the night scenes, which fits in perfectly with London's gritty, harsh nightlife.
Amidst all the drugs & gritty realism, Mr. Spurrier inserts an oasis of poignant Beauty. (An epiphany, really.) Rat & Skye - in an moment of impulse - go skinny-dipping in the water basin of a night-fountain & cavort in the water. The water glosses their Beautiful bodies, and this reviewer loved this scene! You see, the choice when choosing what to view & what not to view is stark & simple: On the one hand, you have God's creative power, which reaches its fullest expression in the design of the human body - the way the neck cranes; the rippling of the abdomen muscles; the Gracefulness, poise & functionality of the genitalia; the musculature of the buttocks; the digital specificity of the toes & fingers; the core strength of the torso & thighs; and the curve of the lips in a smile, which spreads Happiness! On the other hand, you can choose to censor out the Beauty of nudity & present only actors in clothes.
Actors Billy Smith & Zoe Smale bravely bare their entire bodies - & filmmaker Paul Spurrier handles the scene perfectly, letting it unfold Naturally, censoring NOTHING out! It's as if Rat & Skye are stand-ins for Adam & Eve, BEFORE the Fall - BEFORE Paradise collapsed in upon itself. But this Edenic moment is very brief.
The gangsters are after Rat, & they're aiming for payback! Who will live? Who will die, if anyone? You'll have to watch the movie for yourself to find out.
Needless to say, if a little revealing nudity frightens or upsets you, skip "Underground"!
A great film! 8 out of 10 stars!
