Review of if.... (1968) by Daniel A — 13 Jan 2008
Reminiscent of Scum, this fine flick stars Malcolm Mc Dowell as Mick, a likeable young rebel, knee-deep in the shit of the English boarding school system. When he and his nonconformist friends receive a sound thrashing from the head boys for their general deviance from the school template, they decide to take drastic redress.
Like Scum which followed it a decade later, it showcases its events in an ensemble, "slice-of-life" fashion; unlike that film, it adds touches of surrealism at certain points (the Chaplain in the drawer gave me a laugh, and I liked the primal premiere meeting between Mick and the waitress).
Little by little, I found myself gnawed by the prickishness of the private school and the sanctimonious authority figures who ran it; the general's visit/speech made me yearn for the carnage that ensued.
A slow burning-classic which erupts into an inferno - give it a butchers!
This review of if.... (1968) was written by Daniel A on 13 Jan 2008.
if.... has generally received very positive reviews.
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