This is England

Release Date:
Jul 25, 2007
Rated:
Runtime:
1 hr. 38 min.
Genres:
Drama
Director:
Shane Meadows
Cast:
Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley, Andrew Shim, Vicky McClure. Full cast + crew

On DVD: Released Nov. 13, 2007

On Blu-ray: TBD

  • Add to Netflix queue
    Buy on Amazon.com
  • See all DVD + Blu-ray editions

Synopsis

British filmmaker Shane Meadows looks back at his own youth in this semi-autobiographical comedy drama that examines skinhead culture in the U.K. It's the summer of 1983, and Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) is a 12-year-old boy edging into adolescence without a father, his dad having lost his life the year before in the Falkland Islands War. A gang of skinheads -- tough guys in their teens and early twenties who shave their heads, wear Ben Sherman polo shirts, and Dr. Martens boots, and listen to ska music -- walk the streets in Shaun's neighborhood, and one day they start picking on him. Shaun, however, shows he can give as good as he gets, and gang leader Woody (Joe Gilgun) takes a liking to the boy. Woody takes Shaun under his wing, and he starts hanging out with the skins, getting advice on dressing right from Woody's girlfriend, Lol (Vicky McClure), and learning about Jamaican music from West Indian skinhead Milky (Andrew Shim). However, the gang begins to change when Combo (Stephen Graham) is released from prison and returns to the neighborhood; like many skinheads, Combo has been recruited by the National Front, an openly racist right-wing political party, and soon the gang begins to fracture, with Combo taking one faction toward violence and petty crime against blacks, Indians, and Pakistanis, while Woody and his friends follow a more benign path. This Is England received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Our critics say

4.5

Dave White

… sad and fascinating … Full Review

Metascore®

86out of 100

Universal acclaim

on Metacritic.com based on all critic reviews.

The Blogfather

News + views from around the web, updated in real time.
  • Monday, March 15, 2010 8:00 AM

    Mike Ragogna: Americana Idol: A Conversation With Lucinda Williams, Plus Donovan, Jonathan Tyler, Serena Ryder, and more

    Though Lucinda Williams' music spans various decades and genres, her unique musical amalgam mostly is identified as that tasty stew called "Americana," a field that gladly embraces virtually all artistically motivated, guitar-driven groups in the House that The Byrds and Burritos built as well as...continued

    From HuffingtonPost

  • Friday, March 12, 2010 9:00 AM

    Sam Wasson: The Night of the Oscar

    Oh boy it was a grim Oscars. So grim I've put off writing this. Now here I am and I feel like the Underground Man from Notes From the Underground or that guy from Camus (or was it Sartre?) who begins his book with "My mother died today, or was it yesterday?" What, I wonder, is the point of going...continued

    From HuffingtonPost

  • Saturday, March 06, 2010 9:00 AM

    Brad Balfour: Oscar Nominee Wes Anderson Brings The Fantastic Mr. Fox to Life

    Making quirky films seems like second nature to director Wes Anderson so when word went out that he was going to do the stop motion-animated Fantastic Mr. Fox, expectations were high. And given that it was based on the late macabre children's author Roald Dahl's book made it all the more a film to...continued

    From HuffingtonPost

  • Wednesday, March 03, 2010 9:00 AM

    Susan Isaacs: He "Will Be Missed." Yeah, By Whom?

    Forget mindfulness, that living in the moment business. How can we take pleasure in the scents and sight of the Capresso dribbling latte when we know we're due for so much obligatory sorrowing? So much missing to do! Google "will be missed" if you're dubious and see the nation's to-do list. Not...continued

    From HuffingtonPost

  • Thursday, February 25, 2010 9:00 AM

    Tribeca Film: Free Flick Fridays: Song of Freedom

    To put it simply: Paul Robeson, a true Renaissance man (lawyer/singer/athlete/activist/etc.) was one of the greatest Americans of the 20th century. In this "$ 500,000" epic from 1936, he's an opera singer searching for his heritage in Africa. Song of Freedom  dir. J. Elder Wills (1936) It's...continued

    From HuffingtonPost

All BlogFather posts for This is England

ShareThis
Advertisement

News + Features

Disc-y Business

The Friday Rent: Support Sandra Bullock's Tough Side

Sandra Bullock just won on Oscar for The Blind Side the day after she won a Razzie for All About Steve. Can’t we let...