Movie · 2007 · Drama, Crime · 1h 41m · NR · English
Curator score: 8.9/10 (257.4K ratings)
Run with the crowd, stand alone, you decide.
Overview
A story about a troubled boy growing up in England, set in 1983. He comes across a few skinheads on his way home from school, after a fight. They become his new best friends, even like family. Based on experiences of director Shane Meadows.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.9/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Letterboxd: 4.10/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 86
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Shane Meadows
Production
EM Media, UK Film Council, Screen Yorkshire, Big Arty Productions, Film4 Productions
Cast
Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley, Andrew Shim, Vicky McClure, Joseph Gilgun, Rosamund Hanson, Andrew Ellis, Perry Benson, George Newton, Frank Harper, Jack O'Connell, Kriss Dosanjh, Kieran Hardcastle, Chanel Cresswell, Danielle Watson, Sophie Ellerby, Hannah Walters, Dave Laws, Michael Socha
Where to watch
Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A bruising, deeply humane coming-of-age drama that turns a small-scale story of belonging into a sharp study of class, grief, and the seduction of extremist identity. It’s emotionally raw, politically alert, and anchored by standout performances and a vivid sense of place.
Best for
viewers drawn to gritty British social realism
fans of coming-of-age stories with political bite
people interested in racism, masculinity, and group identity
audiences who like emotionally intense character dramas
Skip if
you want a light or uplifting watch
you’re sensitive to racism, abuse, or violent behavior
you prefer plot-driven crime films over atmosphere and character
you dislike bleak, naturalistic British drama
Overview
Shane Meadows makes the ordinary feel dangerous here: a schoolboy’s search for belonging becomes a study of how affection, humiliation, and anger can be redirected into ideology. The film is small in scale but enormous in emotional pressure, moving from awkward comedy and tenderness into something far more frightening without losing sight of its human core.
Worth noting
What lingers most is the film’s moral clarity without simplification. It understands that prejudice is not just a slogan or a uniform; it is also loneliness, insecurity, charisma, and the need to be seen. That makes the story painful in a way that feels earned rather than manipulative.
Bottom line
The performances give it force, especially the volatile adult presence at the center and the young lead’s wounded openness. The period detail is sharp but never decorative, and the film’s rough-edged realism gives it the feeling of a memory that still stings. It’s one of the defining British dramas of its era.
Top Letterboxd reviews
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (4★) · 1646 likes
Film Club #34
You never really think about kindness being a weapon until you realize everything you can do with it.
Be kind to the vulnerable and they will be loyal.
Be kind to the outcasted and they will be loyal.
Be kind to the scared and they will be loyal.
Take that kindness and refuse it to whoever you want. Whoever you deem to be different in the wrong kind of ways. Whoever you deem unworthy of it.
Turn… more
Sethsreviews (5★) · 1637 likes
One of the greatest ever films to come out of the UK. A powerful indictment of racism and fascist ideologies, truly one of the best films I’ve seen using a neo-realistic approach. Stephen Graham’s performance is frighteningly faultless.
emily_f9 (4★) · 1465 likes
woody saying he had to go home to watch a documentary about aardvarks is me trying to leave a party