240 out of 266 people found the following review helpful:

poor

A Customer from Braintree England, 4th December, 2007

this film was a load of rubbish a complete waste of time.

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119 out of 131 people found the following review helpful:

dross

john mcdonald from Congleton, 8th November, 2007

total pants dont bother

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113 out of 121 people found the following review helpful:

An Hilarious, disturbing must see !!

PaulaWestwood from , 6th May, 2007

Firstly, 15 year old Thomas Turgoose is immense in this, a truly magnificent, humerous performance full of truth. Secondly, the film itself is superb, it punches where it needs to and exhorts fits of laughter too, totally describing the 80s, certainly as I remember them, with a cringing accuracy that made me catch my breath. Based on a group of skinheads having fun who get unfortunately re-involved with a more radical race obsessed ex-member who has been in prison, who attempts to turn the good time gang into a bunch of race hate muppets. The whole thing is a well worked and worthy film that I would not hesitate in recommending wholeheartedly. Now... I repect greatly others views and don't comment on them at all, as they are after all only opinions, but on this occasion I must, as there is a glaring mis-opinion on these pages. A reviewer from Bradford TOTALLY gets this wrong, the whole thing is based on actual experiences of the writer and director Shane Meadows, so this DOES and DID actually happen and is I recall accurate from my own experiences, Mr you are wrong and could have put people off this who would otherwise do so.... so shaddap !!!!

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79 out of 87 people found the following review helpful:

The end of England's dreaming

GreenwichPaul from , 8th June, 2007

Shane Meadows once again proves himself to be one of the best directors working in the UK today with this alternately funny and shocking study of skinhead culture in the 80's as it implodes into violence and hatred. It is the story of a lonely 12 year old who befriends a group of skinheads in the early 80's. But the dynamics of the group change with the unexpected and unwelcome arrival of Combo. Although it is said to be based on truth this is not always a believable film but that is a minor quibble The film manages to tread carefully between broad comedy and intense drama and has moments of pure cinematic brilliance which is all pulled together by the superb acting and Meadows' confident direction. Excellent

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This is England - Made in Britain

Stephen from North Cornelly, South Wales, 19th March, 2010

So much of what is attempted here was done so much better in 1982 in David Leland and Alan Clarke’s 'Made in Britain' in which Tim Roth tore up the rule book and gave an electrifying performance that to me far outshines Stephen Graham’s grinning menacer. Graham’s ‘Combo’ seems to be exactly that - a combination of Roth, and de Niro’s Travis Bickle that falls a long way short and adds nothing new. The portrayal of overt racism in films is not comfortable or easy to watch but it must end up telling us something - here the message is clearly that we are a ‘Land With No Fathers’ and I was left with the impression that this was an excuse not a rallying call for a better way of life. The young actor in the lead takes the plaudits for being in but not of the role - for me the minor character of Meggy played by Perry Benson was the most interesting part of this film. It’s not big and its not clever.

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Fantastic

A Customer from Hertfordshire, 2nd February, 2010

Hard to watch at times, but just what a good film should do - make you think. Really illustrates the ridiculous racist mentality in this country.

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What a bobby dazzler!

blackgal from , 2nd February, 2010

This is a great British film. It is quite tense in parts and upsetting in others. Being black made me interested in having a look at this and I was not disappointed. I would highly recommend this for viewing - FABU!

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Bored England in the 80s

A Customer from Southern England, 30th January, 2010

This is a pwerful film, very shocking but realistic rather than gratuitously violent. I remember the racial tension and the riots caused by the skinheads re-emergence in West London in the early 80s. It was short lived but destructive and threatened to dominate. Pockets of rioting occured around the country. Clearly the National Front were trying to get hold of the 'hearts and minds' of these disaffected youths but the 80s was not the same backdrop as in the 50s and 60s when youth subcultures arose out of a post war need for young people to have an identity and status hitherto never afforded them. The film shows how this is significant. The young are happy to evolve friendship groups and identify themselves with a style of dress but they are not politically or racially motivated. The Falklands war meant a revival of patriotism with which the National Front couldn't compete. The acting is superb and the camera shots dramatically move from urban decay to rural beauty, wide angle view to intense close-up. Very moving.

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