This Is England Reviews

A vision of skinhead movement, and the possibility of patriotism in an England where neo liberalism destroyed industry and employment.

Since I kept hearing good things about Shane Meadows, I was definitely eager to check his work. Eventually, I really got lucky to start with one of his best movies and I was certainly not disappointed. Indeed, he managed to set his movie in a specific historical time and place (England in the 80’s) and he also managed to create some fascinating characters to watch. Basically, it shows how dreary the life was for some people in England during that time (is it really any better nowadays?) and how slowly some of them moved towards the National Front and their extreme right wing ideas. This movie displayed also an interesting notion which I wasn’t aware about those skinheads. Indeed, apparently, the skinheads were at first more about a specific lifestyle (music, clothing, haircuts,…) than some actual ideology but, at some point, when some of them needed a goal, a purpose, they shifted towards right-wing politics and, above all, violence towards minorities. However, this flick was not just about history and it also dealt with some very interesting 3 dimensional characters. I mean, instead of showing us some skinheads breaking havoc, they displayed that they had a very strong sense of community but also that they didn’t have much purpose and that they were terribly confused. The only critic I have is that they tried to add a romantic sub-plot involving Combo, it didn’t work out really well but that wasn’t a deal breaker. To conclude, it is a heartbreaking but fascinating picture and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

It's 1983, and unsupervised, beleaguered Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) is missing his soldier dad, who died in the Falklands war an unspecified amount of time prior. So when an older boy at school makes a crack about his father, Shaun takes it upon himself to fight the kid, getting both of them into trouble and inciting the events that make up "The Is England," Shane Meadows' semi-autobiographical account of the nuances and temptations of skinhead culture.

Shaun is twelve, high-spirited and foul-mouthed, traits that exasperate his single mother Cynthia (Jo Hartley.) He is damaged and distrustful when he meets Woody (Joseph Gilgun,) a tattooed teenager who runs his own little gang in their coastal town. Contrary to what you might infer, Woody is not the antagonist of the story.

He is a member of a unique subculture of skinheads, who are neither violent nor inherently racist. Leave the violence and racism to Combo (virtual unknown Stephen Graham, giving a performance that rivals Edward Norton's in "American History X,") an old colleague of the weak-willed Woody who leaves prison as volatile as ever.

Shaun sees a father figure in Combo, who manipulates Shaun's future allegiance. When the group breaks up, Shaun and Woody go their separate ways, and Shaun is drawn into a fanatical group of fascists who allegedly want to prevent England's rape at the hands of foreigners. But when Combo goes too far, Shaun his unsure where his best interests lie.

Shane Meadows, who found cult success with the fantastic Brit revenge thriller "Dead Man's Shoes," infuses elements of his own life into this drama, which avoids making the situation black and white or relying on sentimentality.

Stephen Graham gives a standout performance as the skinhead Combo, whose very being seethes with rage and desperation. First-time actor Thomas Turgoose also turns in a good performance as the vulnerable and wayward Shaun. The movie has it's violent and icky moments (Perry Benson crouched with his bare a*s on the floor of an ethnic store trying to take a dump, anybody?) but the film never becomes as exploitative or sadistic as Geoffrey Wright's Australian skinhead drama "Romper Stomper."

Shane Meadows is one of Britain's most intriguing directorial names today, buy I would say you need to watch "Dead Man's Shoes" first and foremost, for a chance to see the filmmaker at the height of his powers. Regardless, "This is England" is intelligent, unflinching, and savvy, and gives a fresh look into a well-known sub genre.

Many other filmmakers dared to portray their own countries' neo-nazi/skinhead/ultra-nationalist subculture, such as Geoffrey Wright with Romper Stomper, Alan Clarke's Made In Britain, or Tony Kaye's American History X, to name some examples. Obviously I wasn't much impressed by the theme. It wasn't new. But what the others kind of fail to deliver to the audience, this one does it quite well. I'm talking about the human side of the characters. We see that skinheads, in this case, are not just simple haters and racist personas, but that those convictions always have a background, and that they don't become that way just because they felt like it. In his case, the background may be a broken home (Combo), the loss of a role model (Shaun) or even the desire to be respected somehow when that isn't happening (Gadget), among other causes. Overall, although it didn't impress me much, I still recognize its quality. Kudos to Meadows.

This Is England is a dark, psychological, twisted yet funny film that is absolutely typical from us British. It is a very dark story based on what England was like in the 1980s and is sometimes still like now. This Is England is a film that has tons of foul language. When the word "f***" comes into it and is said so often by one character it becomes hilarious. This film is widely compared to Trainspotting because story is quite similar and also the feelings that you have towards This Is England is similar to Trainspotting. It is also compared a lot to American History X because of the characters involved. This Is England is a brilliant film that is out to send a message to how serious lives can be affected when in that situation but unfortunately didn't send the message of what people can do about those bad things. It is a realistic side to what Britain is like now. There is a lot of racism involved like beating up Asians and black people for "taking over Britain". It is a film that showed how broken and beaten Britain is now. This Is England is quite hard to watch at times but is very enjoyable to watch. How Thomas Turgoose had the guts to be in a film like this and play such a character I have no idea. One thing I do know is that he has big guts to play this character. When I saw him kiss Smell I was surprised about his kissing towards her because he was only 14 in this film.


His acting was absolutely superb. His performance is without a doubt one of the best child performances ever! This would have been a good Danny Boyle film but he would have made it too much like Trainspotting. It is a very violent film because there are a lot of graphic racist ambushes involved especially the beating up of that black man within the group. It is quite graphic is a sexual way as well.


This Is England is a very powerful drama that some people would find quite disturbing but I think that is the basic point of the film. I loved this film so much I will definitely call as one of the best films of 2006 and also one of the best British films of all time as well.

"Listen to me. He's a young lad. He's had a fucking bad week. So we bring him in wi' us to show him a bloody good time and you've just friggin back handed him roun' head. I'M DISAPPOINTED MATE!"

Of the existing generation of British filmmakers, talented director Shane Meadows is indisputably one of the most confrontational and forthright. The talent of Meadows is in the impressive films he continually creates. Meadows' creations can be gut-wrenching experiences; however in other films he demonstrated that he possesses the aptitude to challenge an audience on an emotional level. Those who've witnessed his 2004 film, Dead Man's Shoes, can definitely testify to this perspective.

This Is England is his latest work and marks an especially personal film for Shane Meadows. A great deal of the story is sourced from his former association with skinhead posses in the early 1980s. A staggering extent of authenticity has been accomplished not only through admirable production design, make-up and costumes - but moreover the skilful utilisation of stock footage and music originating from the period in which the story is set. This Is England opens with an assortment of stock footage concerning the Thatcher era and particularly the war in the Falklands. This instantaneously establishes the film's mood and institutes an atmosphere of conflict and ambiguity. Filmmakers Meadows makes it comprehensible that this isn't a movie about nostalgia...this is the 1980s as an aching, anguished, heart-rending memory. This Is England is a gripping film regarding a boy's pursuit for acceptance after the unfortunate death of his father. True to his typical filmmaking elegance, writer/director Shane Meadows pulls no punches. There are several scenes that viewers will find extremely confronting. British cinema hasn't been this remarkable since Danny Boyle's Trainspotting over a decade ago.

This compelling drama is centred on a young boy named Shaun (Turgoose) who lives with his mother (Hartley) in the Midlands of England. It becomes clear soon into the film that Shaun is struggling to deal with the catastrophic bereavement of his father who tragically died in the Falklands war, while also enduring the unremitting torment of school bullies. On Shaun's final day of the school term he is bullied severely by a bloke at school. Subsequent to this school day, Shaun is walking home alone when he inadvertently stumbles upon a small group of skinheads. Woody (Gilgun), the group's leader, takes an instantaneous shine to Shaun and offers him support with his troubles at school. Soon enough, Shaun meets the rest of the group and becomes a popular new member. The group provides the troubled young Shaun with the fatherly guidance and security that he severely craves.

The gratification of the group is unexpectedly interrupted by the return of Combo (Graham) following a stint in prison lasting several years. Combo silently took the blame for Woody years before, and immediately recommences a prominently authoritative role within the gang. But Combo's phase in prison also realigned his social and political stance. Combo addresses the group on what he anticipates will be their next phase, but his aspiration to have everyone engrossed in this racial hatred results in the splitting of the group. Young Shaun chooses the radical path after Combo instils in him an impression of misplaced patriotism. Combo perceives great promise in Shaun and treats him as a son. Shaun is offered Combo's abiding support and loyalty. As the fostering of racial hatred persists, Shaun is unexpectedly challenged with a situation that sincerely questions the ethical issue of a discordant and violent lifestyle that has befallen him. At a tender young age of 12, Shaun takes a mature evaluation of his life and of those who seek to nurture him.

This Is England is a truly extraordinary film permeated with uncompromising messages of the period and controversial viewpoints pertaining to the 1980s political situation. Meadows is capable of combining comedy and drama impeccably; there are great subtle laughs, but the film's jolts arrive with the strength of a kick to the head. Everything from the directing to the acting is first-rate. Typical for a Shane Meadows flick, the film is infused with infectious dialogue and fully-fleshed characters, although one of the film's principle attributes is that of Danny Cohen's cinematography that proficiently manages to encapsulate the bleak feeling that was evident of the time. Cohen's photography is both gritty and dour...with an impeccably set atmosphere.

The cast is lead by the astonishing Thomas Turgoose who smoothly expresses the assortment of diverse emotions the material calls for. Through intense workshopping, Turgoose has fashioned the character of Shaun through his own experience as much as director Shane Meadows'. Pinch-faced and awkward but brimming with prepubescent swagger, he's the film's shining centre and it'd be impossible to see a superior, more naturalistic child performance in the next few years. Special recognition must go to Stephen Graham as the vicious skinhead Combo. His dialogue is littered with profound uses of swearing and filthy scatological terms. The whole film builds up his overwhelming rage that is released on screen in an unforgettable few moments. The most haunting aspect of the film is its music. It's remarkable, unforgettable and is tweaked to absolute brilliance. The filmmaking cannot be faulted at all.

Overall, This Is England is an absolutely brilliant movie. Gritty, compelling, tragic yet funny - Britain has never exported a film of this perfection since 1996 when Danny Boyle made his mark on cinema with Trainspotting. Once again writer/director Meadows has set a precedent for British filmmakers and has obscured many of his filmmaking contemporaries. This Is England may not make for comfortable viewing but it is cinema at its best. The film is challenging, stimulating and confronting...this film cannot be missed at any cost.

8.9/10

This Is England is director Shane Meadows semi- autobiographical exposé of skinhead culture and life growing up in Thatcher's council estate Britain.

My anticipation for this film was immeasurable, to the extent that I had to visit my local cinema and beg that they showed the film. My begging eventually paid off and I got exactly what I expected.

Like Meadows previous releases TIE is a perfect mix of social commentary and biting humour. He handles the difficult subject matter here with masterful skill, showing that the skinhead culture was not built on racial hatred but in fact the opposite. It was built on the back of the Jamaican ska movement. The original 60's skins shaving their heads to look more like their Jamaican co-workers, and inheriting their musical tastes.

But TIE is not all about being a skin, its about Sean's loss of innocence, his struggle to accept and understand the death of his father, and the cruel world surrounding him.

As far as I know Thomas Turgoose (Sean) had never acted before. And this for my money is quite possibly the best debut performance from a child actor I've ever seen. I was the same age as Sean in 198i and the experience I had viewing this film was like watching my life flash back in front of my eyes.

This Is England totally captivated me. This Is English film-making! The rest pales in comparison.