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Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley, Andrew Shim, Vicky McClure ... see more see more... , Joe 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 , Michael Socha , Dave Laws , Aisling Loftus , Joe Sentence , Shane Meadows , Pamela Cundell , Elliot Brown-Walters , Ian Smith , Seamus O'Neill , Dave Blant , Ladene Hall , Harold Gould , Betty Gould , Stuart Wolfenden , Georgia Groome , Gabriel Jennings , Matthew Blamires , James Burrows , Harpal Hayer , Terry Haywood , Nimesh Jami

British filmmaker Shane Meadows looks back at his own youth in this semi-autobiographical comedy drama that examines skinhead culture in the U.K. It's the summer of 1983, and Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) i... read more read more...s a 12-year-old boy edging into adolescence without a father, his dad having lost his life the year before in the Falkland Islands War. A gang of skinheads -- tough guys in their teens and early twenties who shave their heads, wear Ben Sherman polo shirts, and Dr. Martens boots, and listen to ska music -- walk the streets in Shaun's neighborhood, and one day they start picking on him. Shaun, however, shows he can give as good as he gets, and gang leader Woody (Joe Gilgun) takes a liking to the boy. Woody takes Shaun under his wing, and he starts hanging out with the skins, getting advice on dressing right from Woody's girlfriend, Lol (Vicky McClure), and learning about Jamaican music from West Indian skinhead Milky (Andrew Shim). However, the gang begins to change when Combo (Stephen Graham) is released from prison and returns to the neighborhood; like many skinheads, Combo has been recruited by the National Front, an openly racist right-wing political party, and soon the gang begins to fracture, with Combo taking one faction toward violence and petty crime against blacks, Indians, and Pakistanis, while Woody and his friends follow a more benign path. This Is England received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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89% liked it

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Critics

93% liked it

89 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Shane Meadows

Release Date: July 27, 2007

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DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007

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Stats: 8,430 reviews

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This Is England This Is England This Is England This Is England This Is England This Is England This Is England This is England this is england This Is England L-R: Pukey,Gadget,Kelly,Milky,Shaun,Lol,Woody,Kes,Pob,Trev,Smell THIS IS ENGLAND (2007) THIS IS ENGLAND..L-R (Gadget,Kes,Shaun,Woody,Pukey) Joseph Gilgun This Is England This Is England Combo Joseph Gilgun
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Flixster Reviews (8,430)

  • brooklynspo
    November 20, 2007
    brooklynspo
    A bit underwhelming, perhaps due to the big hype. Seemed like some good improvisatory acting but not much else.

    Obviously, the skins do have some of the best music which helps any film. Toots rules.
  • aquateen2
    February 24, 2012
    aquateen2
    It's a very interesting movie and I can understand why some people would call it a masterpiece. I however thought it was good but at times a bit too gritty for it's own good. Unlike say, Four Lions, it didn't sympathise the characters enough and sometimes when the drama get's too... read more serious, it get's a bit boring. This is England is a skillfully directed film and the source material has been studied in depth but a lot of people I guarantee will loathe it.
  • paulsandberg
    September 28, 2011
    paulsandberg
    Ideologies, whether political or religious are, after all, created by man and are unfortunately vulnerable to man's foibles. This is all too evident in the film This Is England, where manifestos become fodder to the people who act upon them.

    The film uses the Falkland War as ... read morea backdrop - one of the more ridiculous wars in recent memory. Good and loyal Englishmen died trying to keep a bunch of rocks halfway across the world in British hands - never mind that having those rocks has absolutely no value to the Brit populace.

    We see an 11 year old boy, Sean (in a wonderful portrayal by Thomas Turgoose) whose father was lost in battle. Being fatherless and frequently bullied at school, he is looking for a place to belong, and perhaps, in a larger sense, looking for a father figure. As the film progresses both are provided. First he is befriended by the leader of a local gang, who appreciate the boy's moxy and quick wit. The gang members are all in their early to mid twenties and do typical bad boy stuff like smashing up the interiors of abandoned housing projects - hooliganism that really isn't hurting anyone.

    But the gang and its leader have a past, which is eventually revealed when the leaders "mate" comes back into town after a 3 year prison stay. It then becomes known that the gang are (or were) skinheads, not the Americanized, Nazi loving brand, but more of a nationalist movement (in fact, there is a meeting in the back of a bar with posters urging support of the Nationalist Party). Combo, the ex con (a very strong performance by Stephen Graham), claims that the skinheads are pro English, and not bigots (he reasons that the problem lies in all the Pakistani immigrants who are either on the dole or are taking jobs for cheap, thus robbing hard working English blokes of a decent wage).

    Combo woos Sean into staying with his more hardcore version of the gang, while his mentor tells Combo that he's not buying the hype. Sean is duped by Combo who tells him that he's got to stand up and make his father's death have meaning.

    Eventually a father/son bond develops between the two, only to be shattered when it is revealed that Combo isn't who he purports to be, leading to a heartwrenching and powerful closing scene that reveals a certain inner strength and gives gravitas to the title.
  • fb729949618
    August 9, 2011
    fb729949618
    I would level this movie up with American History X. It delivers the same message in many ways. They acting is very good for a bunch of no names, I sometimes forgot I was even watching a movie!
  • murphmann93
    June 23, 2011
    murphmann93
    Outstanding film. There are too many words to describe how good this film is.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    May 11, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    A well made but creepy and bleak outlook of the lives of a few teenagers growing up in 80's England. Not my sort of film but it was interesting to take a look into the history of my country. I believe that this is how it would be up North as the director came from there and I don... read more't doubt his sincerity.
  • garyX
    March 22, 2011
    garyX
    This IS England. I've never seen a film that so completely sums up a place and time as this one; an England in a time before the internet, DVDs and Playstation, where the only outlet for bored teens was music and the tribal camaraderie that accompanies it. The plot is not the bes... read moret you will ever see, but this is one of those films where the plot is not the point; it skillfully side steps cliches and stereotypes and constantly defies jaded expectation. It has an understanding of humanity and what drives it that very few do, and presents it perfectly. Every single character is completely believable and it attempts to understand the motivations behind even the most despicable character. Even the hardcore nationalists are not demonised, but shown exactly as they are; a bunch of ignorant, self-important bullies who look to everyone and everything but themselves to blame for their own failings and problems. Much has been made of the performance of young Thomas Turgoose, but for me it was Stephen Graham as Combo who really impressed. My only reservation was that much of my enjoyment derived from the huge wave of nostalgia for my childhood and the years growing up in the eighties it provoked, so I'm not sure if it will translate to foreign audiences. Both beautiful and ugly at the same time, it's emotionally affecting, frightening and incredibly well observed. What British film making SHOULD be about.
  • LWOODS04
    March 6, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Thomas Turgoose, Andrew Shim, Stephen Graham, Kieran Hardcastle, Frank Harper, Jo Hartley, George Newton, Jack O'Connell

    Director: Shane Meadows

    Summary: Set in 1983, this semi autobiographical drama from writer-director Shane Meadows follows a lonely 11-year-old bo... read morey named Shaun as he grieves over the recent death of his father, who was killed fighting in the Falklands War. When he falls in with a gang of young skinheads, Shaun's pain and anger make him susceptible to carrying out the group's hateful agenda, exposing a dark side of modern Britain not often seen in the movies.

    My Thoughts: "This movie, for me, was a learning experience. I'm not the most informed person when it comes to the skinhead culture, or that there was different types of skinheads. So it's a film that definitely left me with new knowledge about the era and how it started crossing the line's of hate. The movie is very well done, with impressive performances from Thomas Turgoose and Stephen Graham. Shaun obviously sees a father figure in Combo, and Combo sees his younger self in Shaun. I found the relationship between Shaun and Smell to be quite disturbing. I'm astounded at how angry the mother was about her son having a shaved head, yet had no complaints about her eleven year old having a tattoo or dating a much older girl. But then again maybe she just feels very strongly about hair considering how fantastic her's looked. Seriously though, the film is very interesting, thought provoking, and brutally honest and raw. The character's are believable and make you care for them. Even Combo. A must see British film."
  • matertenebraum
    February 10, 2011
    matertenebraum
    There is no doubt that this film is a truly great piece of film-making. Shane Meadows crafts films in the same style as Martin Scorcese. We are given a glimpse into the lifestyle of a group of characters over a short period of time. It is very much a fly on the wall type of movie... read more. The point of these films is to understand the actions of the characters rather than judging their actions. I have no doubt that there will be some people that tag this film as being racist which is rather missing the point.

    The film follows Shaun a 12 year old being borough up in early 80's England. He has lost his father in the Falklands war and suffers bullying and isolation until he is befriended by a group of skinheads. The happy band are challenged when Combo is released from prison. Thomas Turgoose is magnificent in the lead role and the direction/screenplay are also spot on the mark. For anybody that lived through the period there are lots of reminders about the period. The film is based on Meadow's own childhood and is quite mesmerising at times.

    I was gripped throughout the film and it also gave me plenty to think about afterwards. What more can you ask for when going to the movies? I suppose if you go to the movies for escapism then go watch something else, but if you want a gripping thought provoking drama then it doesn't come much better than this. Outstanding!
  • ythelastman89
    January 31, 2011
    ythelastman89
    I don't know why this came off as so bland, maybe because the skinhead/punk attitude has been depicted in a lot more ambitious ways. When you watch something like Romper Stomper, American History X or even Summer of Sam, they take you deep into the mindset of the lifestyle and mi... read morendset of the characters. They also manage to be more visually striking and the plot moves forward a lot more. This has character development and a decent story, it's just nothing new. Even the visual style is borrowed from Larry Clark/Harmony Korine. I think people who haven't been exposed to many movies like this will absolutely love it, but for me it just seemed to be the same old thing.

View All This Is England Reviews

Critic Reviews

Peter Howell
November 9, 2007
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

How sad and predictable is the fate of those who counsel violence as a means to an end. And yet how poignant it all seems when viewed through Shane Meadows' thoughtful lens. Full Review

Jennie Punter
November 9, 2007
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

You wouldn't think a film about a group of British skinheads during the early 1980s could be a sweet, nostalgic coming-of-age period piece, but that's the surprise of the authentic, fresh and utterly ... Full Review

Richard James Havis
November 9, 2007
Richard James Havis, Hollywood Reporter

Its tough but moving neo-realist approach make it one of the better British films of recent times.

Bruce Westbrook
September 7, 2007
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

A drama that's so potent and persuasive yet also natural and intimate that it almost has the heft of a documentary. Full Review

Tom Long
August 31, 2007
Tom Long, Detroit News

A movie about the allure of groupthink and how the warm comfort of being surrounded by peers wilts all sense of balance. Full Review

Terry Lawson
August 31, 2007
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

A hard-fisted punch of reality based on the filmmaker's experiences growing up in England's Midlands in 1983. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
August 16, 2007
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Until the final scene of Meadows' edgy, uneasy film, the suspense is killing. Full Review

Desson Thomson
August 16, 2007
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Humane and complex. Full Review

James Berardinelli
August 16, 2007
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

This Is England may be set in 1983 but it's as relevant today as it was then. Full Review

David Wiegand
August 10, 2007
David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle

Don't expect a history lesson: Shaun's story is more than enough to grab and hold your attention. Full Review

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    • Shaun: You look stupid.
    • Woody: You look absolutely sterling mate!
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  • I have been sucked back in time to medieval england from america, i have cut my own hand off, i have been convinced i was elvis living in an old peoples home, i was killed by mad gorillas (this is in 5 films) who am i?  Answer »
  • In what movie can you find this dialogue?: " 'If I do this, we both know that I can never return to England with honor. What, I wonder, shall become of me?''When this war is over, there will be a new, aristocracy. We shall be land owners.' 'Tell me about, Ohio.'"  Answer »
  • I was a psycho in 'This is England' and Turkish's mate in 'Snatch'. Who am i?  Answer »
  • Who directed 'This is England'?  Answer »
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