Review of Awaydays (2009) by Elgan D — 22 May 2009

I can't decide if I liked this or tolerated it... at times the plot seemed to drag and not really know where it was heading - did it want to be an all out violence thing, or a period drama of the late 1970's and adulthood?

This is England tackled the same kind of issues and I felt did so in a slightly more appealing and likeable manner.

The direction is faultless - it's gritty, it's harsh and although I wasn't around to grow up in the seventies, I've seen enough films made from that time period to know this is pretty spot on at capturing the tensions and angst from that time.

Characters.... well, they were all a bit predictable. Elvis was probably the best on offer... him and whats-his-face that was a bit too handy with his knife. When you don't care for a central protagonist in some kind of way it's hard to sit through 2 hrs of pretending to understand what they're going through.

The soundtrack was excellent, however and was probably the only thing that really held my attention.

I sort-of-ish enjoyed this, but was disappointed with it over-all. It had none of the charm of This is England, but was slightly better than the likes of Green Street.

I'm glad I saw this, but just wish I could rant and rave.