Film Reviews

This Is England

• Rating:
• Director: Shane Meadows
• Starring: Jo Hartely
• Details: UK / 100 mins (18).

12-year-old Shaun (Turgosse) is one tough nut and takes out his aggression over losing his father in the Falklands War on those around him. A loner, Shaun is taken in by a skinhead gang led by the charismatic teenager Woody (Gilgun). Despite their aggressive appearance, the gang aren't racist or violent and Shaun delights in the fun and games the youngsters get up to. All that changes, however, when an old friend of Woody's - Combo (Graham) - is released from prison and he immediately goes about recruiting the gang into the National Front, taking the naive Shaun under his wing. Set in 1983, writerdirector Shaun Meadows pulls off a coup in delivering a film that looks like it was made in 1983 and has only been released now and this adds the authentic documentary style of his direction. Although Meadows sets his story in a grim coastal town (a town Morrissey would sing about) and shows dilapidated factories, abandoned housing estates, job queues and general despondency of the area, he never overdoes it and this subtle angle is a welcome approach. This Is England boasts a tight script that blurs stereotypes and undercuts expectations at every turn, but Meadows sometimes over complicates matters veering off into unadvisable romantic sub plots. The performances are top notch, especially debutant Thomas Turgosse who delvers a commanding performance that makes a mockery of his young age while Graham's dangerously unhinged Combo can turn from intimidating to sympathetic in a flash.

Review by Gavin Burke