this is England

i watched this film after seeing Dead man shoes which was directed by Shane Meadows. i really enjoyed this film it was based on a Irishmen who returns home. and revenges on the local gang who have bullied his family. when i heard that Shane Meadows was making another film based on the life of 1980's skin head i had to see it.
This is England tells the tale of a of a troubled young boy(Shaun) who is befriended by the local skin heads and their leader (Woody). based on the working class side of england in 1983 Falkland's war. the skin head gang help (shaun ) from is his current troubles until (Combo) arrives back from prison who splits the group with racist and bitter views on the world. this film is directed by Shane meadows who used his experience from being in a skin head gang at a young age.

This is england stars the young Thomas Turgoose as Shaun who really shows Shaun as a troubled teenager a another is Stephen Graham who plays as the angry psychotics Combo. This is a big change from first seeing Stephen Graham as Jason Stathan's daft harmless side kick Tommy in Guy Ritchie's Snatch in 2000. the film has variety of different characters which helps this film to be a successful. Other characters such as woody played by Joseph Gilgun who also plays as Eli Dingle in the television soap Emmerdale. this is the skin head who welcomes Shaun to their gangs.

I really enjoyed this film. I like the fact that it shows the skin heads in quite a good light unlike the view o the media at that time. with the arrival of Combo cause a tension in the group and the film. The film also looks like its been filmed in the 1980's with the fashion and and the environment even the cheap looking style of filming help show the rough working class style of northern england in the 1980's. The only bad point about this film is that i felt it never really lead up to any thing exciting and finished a bit disappointing.