Review of Neds (2007) by Colm M — 04 Feb 2011

I remember those dark, damp lamp lit streets. Growing up in inner city Glasgow in the 1970's wasn't much different to growing up in 1970's Belfast it seems. There's a particular lad grew up on my estate that wasn't far off the main character.

If your homelife wasn't half way stable back then you didn't have much of a chance when combined with what you had to deal with on the streets. Peter Mullan drills that message home in a powerful way.

The bravery that comes with despair for many inner city kids is portrayed brilliantly in the end scene and made this movie a 4/5 where without it I would have given it 3.5/5. Peter Mullan is obviously able to direct his personal experiences into an unsettling but rewarding movie.