Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Scott LeBrun Director Alan Clarke originally made this as a television movie commissioned by the BBC. But they took exception to the incredible intensity of the subject matter, especially the way that the camera never flinches or cuts away from such horrors as suicide, rape, and racism. Clarke refashioned the story (written by Roy Minton) as a theatrical feature two years later, and made it angrier than ever, a scathing indictment of the treatment of juvenile offenders in this setting.And that setting is a "borstal", or British reform school. Minton relates what happens from day to day as the staff go about their business of dominating their charges without ever bothering to really take an interest in them or understand them. One of the newest arrivals is a youth named Carlin (Ray Winstone, just 22 at the time), and Carlin is threatened by the big fish of the joint, or "Daddy", named Banks (John Blundell).Our young protagonists may not be little angels, but they generate sufficient sympathy as we see what they are forced to experience. This particular borstal is quite the oppressive environment, and the staff, by and large, are very cold individuals. They really don't like their charges to show too much spirit, so one of the biggest thorns in their sides is self-styled individual Archer (Mick Ford, delivering a commanding performance). Among other things, he's an atheist and a vegetarian, and takes the latter seriously enough that he walks around barefoot, rather than wearing any sort of leather on his feet. Archer is this viewers' favorite character.Winstone does a creditable job in the lead, all the way through his characters' arc. Julian Firth (as the very unfortunate Davis), Phil Daniels, John Judd, Philip Jackson, Peter Howell, and P.H. Moriarty round out this exemplary cast."Scum" isn't a particularly revelatory film, but it is quite sobering and offers some provocative entertainment. It's not hard to see why it would have a cult following.Seven out of 10.

Rozzi1 The inspiration for the Canadian film "Dog Pound", it was made in 1977 as a television drama but was promptly banned due to its content – two years later director Alan Clarke re-made the film for cinema. In my opinion the cinema film "Scum" (1979) is far superior to the 1977 original. The vast majority of the cast are the same, and except for several scenes, the reduction of several sub-plots (such as the character Rhodes, who appears in the 1979 version but is never named), and for the opening sequence, the story and characters are otherwise the same.The story follows the journey of three inmates in a Borstal (a young offenders prison). Carlin, the principal character, has been transferred from another Borstal for allegedly assaulting an officer. Davis has been transferred from a more relaxed Borstal for attempting to escape, and Angel has arrived fresh from being on remand at Wormwood Scrubs (a prison in West London).The borstal is controlled by a harsh, unyielding discipline meted out by the unrelenting cruelty of the officers – who randomly beat and brutalise the young inmates – and by the viciousness and savagery of the inmate 'Daddy' cliques who run the underbelly of each cell-block.With his reputation of being a rebel against authority and a fighter preceding him, Carlin is singled out and soon has no option but to fight the 'daddies' and use his cunning to outwit the officers intent on victimising him. When Carlin emerges as the new 'Daddy' of his cell-block, the bullying suffered by Davis and the racial attacks suffered by Angel subside. As their journeys continue, alongside the journeys of several other inmates picked-up as the story progresses (such as Archer, Toyne, Meekin), the narrative focuses on the conflict between the individual and the system; how the identities of the inmates become eroded – how some adapt in order to survive the system and how others capitulate. "Scum" is an extremely violent and disturbing film which displays a no-holds barred sense of brutality and realism. Climaxing with a full-scale riot as the inmates explode and rise up against the oppression of the regime, the final question posed is whether or not the system can be beaten.

tomosp1965 I regard this film as the truest and best depiction of life in a British borstal, or indeed prison, of any film ever made about being incarcerated. Most films in this genre over dramatize, or trade the reality of prison life, for a pseudo/stereotypical version. By doing this they pander to peoples idea of what its like and lose the reality.Ray Winstone shows why he became a sought after actor, giving a poignant and honest portrayal of the lead character 'Carlin'. Credit also goes to Phil Daniels who plays 'Striper', (a prison term form slashing someone across the face with a razor). He acts with a menacing grin and believable viciousness.The cast as a whole are excellent, the script is true to life and seems as though it was written by a prisoner, plus the set actually looks like a borstal.This is one of my top 20 films, though it isn't for the faint hearted.10 out of 10

djkbee Im a big fan of uk British films. Having missed this one i decided to finally watch it, the reason for not watching it is because i knew it would be to outdated for me, someone who did not watch this 20-30 years ago. I was right, to me it was a little boring and had a very slow pace for the first half of the film. Ray Winstone is fantastic and the acting is top notch in this from all but if your considering watching this for the first time now then expect to feel the same way as i did especially if your huge fan of British gangster films and hard hitting uk movies. Certainly worth a watch though. Just not as great as everyone makes it out to be... a little over hyped in my honest opinion.