dwolf77 This Is England is a masterly crafted drama. The film manages to balance comedy and a sence of tragedy incredibly well throughout the entire film. The acting is simply brilliant. For a first-time actor, I was blown away by the performance of Thomas Turgoose, who played Sean. Stephen Graham, the actor who played Combo, provided the most effective and dramatic scenes in the film, and was absolutely fantastic. The writing seems incredibly real, and you feel as if you are almost watching a documentary because of how natural the dialogue feels. The cinematography is great, it is well-directed, and the story is captivating. My only criticism would be that the music, on occasion, does some of the thinking for you, and there were just one or two scenes I found to be a little cheesy. Definitely watch this film. You will be blown away by the realness of it, and it surely won't be a waste of your time.

ereinion This movie is full of tragedy, yet also redemption. It is a story about one young boy who ends up in the wrong crowd. It is 1983 and Shaun is a 12-yearold boy whose father was killed a year ago in the Falklands War. Worth noting is the choice of year, as it was a time of major political and social upheaval in Britain. Miner strikes and dissatisfaction with Thatcher's regime. It is this dissatisfaction that also is shown here, albeit from a very extreme perspective of the skinhead leader Combo. Combo is a character full of contradictions, as he is both a racist and nationalist, and at the same time in denouncing the Falklands War as a rubbish Thatcher-invention, he is also talking the language of the common man, the oppressed man. Those who have been hurt by the war the most are people like him, people who had no grudge against Argentina but had to fight in that war, millions of miles away from home. While at the same time many so-called "respectable" and "politically correct" Englishmen and Britons supported that war and many still think it was right to fight it. This shows the yawning gap between the working class and the upper class. Working class is sick of having to take foreigners from third world countries "taking over" their neighbourhoods with their stores and restaurants and "taking their jobs", while the government does nothing and profits from the foreign "injection".Shaun is a kind of objective figure here, who is never too much on either side, even though he accepts Combo as a sort of father figure or big brother figure. I think even the ones among us who hold some kind of grudge towards the immigrants, especially ones from afar, will feel sickened by the scene where Combo holds a knife against an Indian boy's throat, just because he and his friends played football on "his" court. Even if some of us have had negative experiences with for instance a Pakistani or Indian, watching this makes us pity that Indian boy. I know it made me feel like that and it took away any kind of grudge I might have felt towards their kind. Stephen Graham does a great job as Combo and the young Tom Turgoose also is very effective for a debutante and for his age. This is a film everyone should watch and learn from. It is a young boy's spiritual education, as Shaun finally realizes that his father didn't die fighting for the nationalist, racist England but for a united England. And everyone must accept that their society has changed.Combo is one unhappy, tormented character. A guy who was obviously scarred early in life and cannot feel anything but anger, or can he? Despite always trying to look as cold and hard as possible, he harbours feelings for Lol, the girlfriend of his friend who then turns away from him because of his racism, after Combo returns from prison. After he gets rebuked by Lol for confessing his feelings for her, he gets more dangerous. He only wants to feel loved and to have a good life, but can't. He hangs out with losers for the most part. One exception is the mild-mannered Milky, the half-Jamaican. This all makes you wonder: is Combo really a racist? Or is it only anger and frustration that make him say and do racist things? This is a very strong character study and one of the few films I have seen to try and deconstruct what lies behind, or inside, an average racist and his mind.I give this film a 9, because it is a very compelling and important film and a good lesson for any young man who may harbour some kind of animosity towards people of other race. Feeding on hatred and living on hatred will only make you miserable and end in tragedy, as it does for Combo. But one can hope that he is headed towards finding redemption as well, while Shaun found the right way to go.

bonzojade-51764 I watched this film in Film Studies not long ago and it is only my second Shane Meadows film, however as soon as the teacher said who's film it was, I was excited. I'd seen 'Dead Man's Shoes' and loved every second of it.Now, I expected a similar film, it is in some ways. For one, the gritty, realistic and sometimes uncomfortable subject matter and portrayals are all very similar. However, This is England also manages to capture the fun that teens/young people manage to find in the 80s through the most random of ways (smashing up houses and shooting each other with air guns). Almost every character is likable and most are well-fleshed out (with the exception of Pukey, Kes and Meggy who are given less screen time).The leader of the apolitical skinheads is Woody played by Joe Gilgun and he plays the role spectacularly. He is a kind-hearted guy, trying to help Shaun (the protagonist) after an emotionally tiring day. He seems to be an authority in the group, followed by Milky (Andrew Shim). Milky always seems to back up Woody's decisions and is equally warm-hearted.The accuracy (from what I've researched into skinhead and mod culture in Britain) is brilliant, obviously due to Meadow's experience as a boy.It is at first light-hearted despite some bullying of Thomas Turgoose's Shaun. However, at a party the mood changes when an old acquaintance of Woody's and Lol's shows up after being released from prison. However, it is told that he did time for Woody. Therefore you expect him to be just part of the gang, albeit a bit older, unfortunately you would be wrong. Combo is not a pleasant guy to stomach during this film, almost immediately he asserts racist views in front of the whole group. This is not only despicable in and of itself but when he spots Milky (a black man) he apologizes but still uses slurs. The music eventually overshadows this as it is clear the party has gone sour now.The whole film focuses on Thatcher's reign and the Falklands War, with many references, diegetic radio announcements and clips at the beginning of the film and towards the end after (MAJOR SPOILER!!!) Combo has beaten Milky, almost to death.Overall, if you like quirky, warm films with serious undertones and cultural references, you will love this. The whole cast delivered stunning performances and it worth a watch, honestly.

Rozzi1 Set in a small northern town in 1983 the story follows Shaun, a 13 year old loner who falls in with the local gang of Skinheads, led by warm-hearted Woody. Aside from the unrealistic anti-Falklands sentiment among some of the characters, namely Combo (I don't recall anyone back in 1982 being against the war – except a few Labour MPs – and only several regiments of professional soldiers went to the Falklands not droves of conscripts as the film implies, also it was over in 3 months so had long finished before the film's time line begins) aside from that, the film is brilliant and perfectly captures the essence of youth, disaffected youth, group bonding, and growing up in the early 80s, devoid of any typical TV drama nostalgia getting in the way. It's gritty and realistic in the best form, and director Shane Meadows manages beautifully to inter-lace this with several stylised moments without spoiling the overall tone of social-realism.Loner as Shaun may be, he is also full of courage and spirit beyond his years, and quickly becomes a popular member of the varied bunch of Skins. But when Combo, a much older Skinhead and a violent, psychotic, racist, returns to the town after a 3 year prison term, everything changes for Woody, Shaun and the group. Dividing the gang on racial and political lines, half of the lads and lassies stick to their morals and remain with Woody – while the rest, including Shaun, join Combo and a his racist sidekick Banjo.The complexities of Shaun's decision to join the racist faction of the town's Skinhead scene, is probably be best explained as a post-traumatic reaction to the loss of his father. Having been a soldier, Shaun's father is killed in action during the Falklands war, and so as the film begins so too does Shaun's grief and suffering as he struggles to make sense of the world. Combo and his faction offer Shaun a tougher, more male orientated existence and one which thrives on acts of aggression and violence. It is this environment and behaviour which Shaun needs to help him cope with the grief and the absence of a strong paternal figure. As the story reaches its climax, Shaun reaches his own conclusion about the life around him.An excellent, well written, brilliantly directed and acted, social drama. Highly recommended.