A PATH THAT SEALED HIS DESTINY

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In a small West London community in 1971 twelve-year old Jamie Delourde the eldest of five brothers deals with poverty and a violent father. His mother suffers a nervous breakdown and Jamie and his brothers seek sanctuary amongst the castle turrets and tranquil gardens of the local park. Their kingdom and reign as Kings of the Park is put in jeopardy when they are challenged for their territory by local ethnic youths led by the Gill gang. Jamie’s fortunes then seem to take a turn for the better when he is asked to sing lead soprano at the Vatican in Rome. He is then left completely disillusioned when his father refuses to cover the travelling costs. Bullied and ridiculed at school about his mother Jamie finally follows his fathers lead and uses violence as a way to kick back at his tormentors.

It is 1978; an antisocial volatile nineteen-year old Jamie is induced into the world of race related gang violence by local publican, John Moran and schoolteacher Gerald Stopps – both National Front members. Assisted by Moran’s son Carl he is brainwashed into fighting Asian youths to keep his social identity. A chance encounter with charismatic musician Josh Carr rekindles Jamie’s earlier passion for music. Enrolling is Josh’s music workshop he forms a band ‘The Park Side Boys’, relishing his role of band front man. Josh’s use of music as a common denominator starts to bring the local youths together at his music club.

Racial tension and local unrest reaches fever pitch after the murder of local council candidate Varinder Singh. The finger of suspicion is pointed squarely at John Moran, but lack of physical evidence leads to no arrests. Jamie and his gang violently clash with angry Asian youths. Josh furiously confronts Jamie about his misguided loyalty and tells him he must make a choice between the club and the gang. He reluctantly turns his back on Josh his allegiance to his friends is too strong.

Carl Moran , jealous of Jamie’s new status with the band and his growing influence in the gang attacks and racially abuses Jamie’s black bass player Des, Jamie now sees that Moran is out of control he is tipped off that Josh is next on Moran’s’ hit list. Jamie pleads with Josh not to attend a protest rally demonstrating against a National Front meeting held at the local town hall. Josh tells him not to worry.

At the rally skinheads arrive and in an ensuing riot Josh suffering a head wound is separated from Jamie and carried to the nearby park. Carl Moran fatally stabs Josh and disappears into the night. Jamie arrives and tearfully holds his dying friend. Josh asked him not to take the law into his own hands as he slips away.

In a clinical well – orchestrated attach, masked youths led by Jamie, petrol bomb Moran’s public house. As Carl Moran and the gang flee the blazing inferno, Jamie overpowers him and turns a blade down on his victim. Des and a local journalist scream at Jamie that evidence has been gathered to tie Moran and his associates to the 2 murders. He is quickly brought to his senses and drives the blade down towards Moran but into the pavement the blade snaps in half.  It is almost like he can hear he Josh’s voice repeating his dying wish not to meet violence with violence. The first thing Jamie ever wrote in his diary at twelve was to meet violence full on a lesson his father had taught him earlier in the film. The cycle is now broken, Jamie and the youths make their escape under the cover of darkness into the night down the old canal paths.

Moran and his associates are charged. The influence of the National Front is no more. Jamie arranges a concert in memory of Varinder Singh and his friend Josh, who he tells the crowd, taught him to judge someone on whom they are not by colour or creed.