Review of This Is England (2007) by Jake R — 27 Feb 2009

Shane Meadows had been lurking around the lower echelons of the British film industry for a fair few years before this, making surprisingly fresh and original efforts in movies like 'A Room for Romeo Brass' and 'Dead Man's Shoes'. Here, he explodes the screen with a blistering commentary on British society and culture, though in a very narrow light.

Nearly everyone in film and tv in Britain always chooses two time periods to look at: the 18th/19th century or 1983; for some reason these are the only two periods that seem to contain anything fertile for creative development. The Humberside of 1983 is strikingly recreated in meticulous detail, from its grimy appearance to the earthy inflections in the naturalistic language. No one can doubt the blunt characterisation either, since British culture doesn't do subtle. But this 1983 seems to be a little made up along the way. For a start, the Falklands War happened a year earlier and it was never as inflammatory an issue as it's made out to be. Stephen Graham's 'Combo', whilst a barnstormer, still feels out of place being so far from his Brummie stomping ground. Rosamund Hanson's proto-Goth appears as comfortable hanging out with skinheads as she would do in modern times with a gang of chavs, and overall there's no real sense of verisimilitude, no personal feeling that grounded the kitchen sink dramas of the 1960s so fimrly in reality.

'This is England' is also so cleary intended to reference modern life that it crowbars in attitudes and values that did not exist 25 years ago. The Falklands War was not some shambolic foray into an alien land but a simple rescue of British citizens, hardly worthy of such anti-war vitriol. And surely a Nationalist would be all for conquering foreign powers? Combo is the most outspoken critic of the war and yet it is people like himself who would champion its cause in the first place. Unemployment was the cause of the new systems of beneficiary aids being created, not the result of extremist capitalism. And Margeret Thatcher herself was an icon of the hard Right. For all intents and purposed Combo is less a real person, and even further less a real skinhead, than just a link to the modern world stupid British audiences need to make the connection.

Then of course there's the racism. Films like 'American History X' and 'Romper Stomper' stick out in the mind uncomfortably because of there insistent mantra of showing the darkest side of racism, however hyped up it may be. 'This is England' goes in completely the opposite way: it's made such a fuss over that it simply becomes laboured and tame. This is politically correct racism, where Combo has to apologise before and after making a racist comment and where he has to be friendly and intimate with an immigrant before killing him. A normal skinhead wouldn't give a second thought about being racist, simple as. And nor would Andrew Shim's 'Milky' be so sensitive about it either, having grown up in an environment where petty comments are ignored in favour of a strong community spirit. In effect this showcases the real modern link with the film: that movies and television made in Britain are so strangled by political correctness and agenda that they cease to become realistic depictions of life. Any skinhead nowadays would baulk at the spectacle of these polite Nationalists, all clever and manipulative instead of being the violent brutes they really are.

Where the film succeeds then is in its cast. Drawing up a roster of unknowns and with roots than doubtlessly mimic their character's this is a fantastic ensemble, familial and mischievous. Thomas Turgoose may put in a remarkably mature and intelligent performance but it's Joe Gilgun's 'Woody' who is the real star. Common as muck and cheeky to boot he's a hugely enjoyable character, the type of naughty, roguish big brother everyone looks up to, even though he's no good. Stephen Graham's Combo is indeed a monster but is undermined by his character's ethos and affiliations. Instead it's rawer moments that touch at the skinhead's real heart of darkness, such as his childish mumbling to Vicky McClure's 'Lol' about when he slept with her as a barely legal teen. His twinges of violent emotion are far scarier than the tiresome melodramatics of the final act.

On the strength of the cast, and Meadow's genuine ambitions to say something about the uglier side of Britain, 'This is England' is still a worthy attempt. One would just wish we had someone with bigger balls floating around the industry.