1) How are people and places represented in the film bullet boy?

The young men in the film reinforce the stereotypes of young threats to society, with gang crime etc. Ricky is a good example as he is represented as dangerous and a risk, the start of the film portrays him as a criminal as we see him being released from prison. He is also shown as having a negative impact on his families lives, which results in his little brother almost killing his friend. His little brother Curtis is affected by the area he lives in, (a rough part of London) which results in him accidentally shooting a gun (which belongs to Ricky) into the shoulder of Rio, almost killing him. However, the female characters are presented as strong and independent, which challenges the stereotypes of women being weak and vulnerable. As Ricky's mother Beverley appears to have brought Ricky and Curtis up on her own, until his step father stepped in to help out. She also had the courage to kick Ricky out of the house in an attempt to turn her life around, which represents her as brave.

2) Which stereotypes that exist about people and places are challenged and which are reinforced?

The stereotypes of black people commonly being criminals are reinforced through Ricky and Wisdom, who use violence to get through their day to day lives. Ricky was arrested for criminal activities and they were both eventually killed due to violence they had done. Wisdom was killed by Godfrey, the man with a dog that he shot, and had a past experience of violence.