Critical score: 8.9/10

I think this is the best film we have watched so far, as it does doesn’t do much wrong. In my personal opinion, the shots of the group walking towards the camera, though essential to show how Shaun’s friends are changing, are somewhat corny and for me don’t fit into the overall tone of the film. However, pretty much everything else is executed to a very high standard. There isn’t a bad performance by the cast, and the performance of Stephen Graham as the psychopathic Combo is certainly a memorable one for myself and most likely the audience as well. The use of montage to set the time period is extremely captivating and well executed, and the Tarantino style ‘Jukebox’ soundtrack is not only very well chosen, but pushes forward the emotional impact of certain scenes very well, such as the scene in which Combo nearly kills Milky. An overall extremely enjoyable experience and a very well made film.

Memorable Scene

The most memorable scene for me has got to be when Combo kills Milky, as for me it finally confirmed his psychotic and unstable nature and disgusting attitudes towards other fellow human beings. The intimate close up on Combo’s shows how he goes from cheerful and talking to Milky about his family and how he could come round for dinner, to berating Milky with racial insults and then beating him to the brink of death. The moment that really sticks out for me is when he gets Shaun to help him haul Milky’s beaten body out of the room and he’s telling to not cry and be ‘a real man’, which just confirms to me his lack of empathy and most likely his lack of education.

Rating Scale – 8

I really enjoyed this movie as you had to really listen to what was being said and what was happening. I enjoyed seeing all the camera work and dialogue even though there wasn’t much cinematography, it was a great movie. This is England is an extremely grotty and wretched movie. this is a lot of violence and blood and as I’ve said before I don’t condone any of those as it is disgusting but other than that I was entertained by this movie.

My most memorable moment was when Shaun threw the England flag into the sea. I believe that this was a detrimental scene that finished off the movie. After all that happened, all of the events that lead up to Milky’s almost death after he was beaten up by Combo. You could see that anger on Shaun’s face as he walked down. It was a moment of realisation.

This Is England (2006)
Dir. Shane Meadows

7.5/10 – I really enjoyed this film and how it portrayed the time it was set in, especially when hearing about it a lot from my dad. While the themes were heavy and quite nasty at times, it implemented some comedy in nice ways, especially when Shaun was hanging around Woody and his friends. The music was also a highlight for me, because soul, reggae and blues are some of my favourite genres.

The most memorable scene in This Is England for me was when Combo was trying to convince Woody and his friends to ‘join him’ after spewing all of his white supremacist and nationalist ideas to them. This really marks a turning point in the film; Shaun goes from trying to fit in with Woody, to following Combo instead. I think that this scene also shows how children can be really impressionable, because Combo speaks about Shaun’s dad in a really compassionate way.

Shane Meadows (2007)

Critical score: 7.5/10

The film was engaging and funny, while still focusing on more heavy topics such as racism and bullying. The film was unique compared to other films I’ve watched. It used scenes of violence and strong language without seeming unnecessary as it fit both the plot and characters well, the film had high verisimilitude at it was quite autobiographic to the directors upbringing so the audience saw a clear and accurate representation of England and young people in 1983 due to the use of real news clippings.

Stand out scene:

The closing scene of the film stands out to me as it shows Shaun throwing his England flag that Combo had given him into the sea, this is significant as it shows Shaun’s exit of his gang and how his beliefs have changed.

First Response

Director- Shane Meadows

I rate This Is England a 7/10. I rated it a 7 as I though the acting from the actors and actresses was very good. I thought the location of the film showed a true and verisimilitude feeling for many of the audience. I though the soundtrack and the music used really enhanced many of the scene as well

For me my favourite scene was when Shaun was trying to fit in with Woody and his gang by getting the correct shoes, haircut and trouser. I really liked it when Woody surprised Shaun by getting him the shirt so Shaun could fit in. This showed that Woody had a fatherly aspect to him and it showed the kindness he had towards Shaun and how he wanted to be there for Shaun in a father way.