Review of Neds (2007) by Matthew D — 23 Feb 2011

A really well made Scottish film about youth gang violence in a 1970's Glasgow community. The film centres around an extremely bright, but bullied boy who comes from a home of alcoholism and violence.

It is due to this background that he eventually succumbs to the youth gangs of his environment. The performances are exceptional and it is obvious that Peter Mullan is an exceptional director. That being said this film is a little rough around the edges.

It never seemed to figure out if it was trying to be a gritty youth oriented urban drama ala Alan Clarke's Scum or Made in Britain or a more artisitc, visually based film. The balance between the two was intresting, but the teeter toddering between these two aesthetics did hold it back for me.

For example that jesus hallucination scene (although arguably one of the best and most important in the film) ended up feeling out of place when compared with some of the grittier scenes. As did the scene where the main character duct tapes two knifes to his hands and takes on an entire gang singlehandedly, when considered against the more artful and metaphorical scenes in the film.

Also I thought the transition of the main character from a model student to a street thug felt rushed and a tad unbelievable. That being said this is a very powerful and engaging film. It is angry, direct and upsetting.

While not quite as much so as I think it could have been, I would still recommend this film to people who go for this sort of thing and I do think it was one of the better efforts of 2010. Recommended.