Scum (Tin Box Set) > Reviews > WINSTON IS THE MAN....

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Weak
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Original and Exciting
Disadvantages:	Violent

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Scum is a hard hitting and realistic piece of film work which, as I'm lead to believe by my Dad, was very controversial when it first came out. It was first released in 1979 (9 years before I was even born!) and is one of my favourites. When I first watched it, it shocked me but also made me laugh. Something which not too many films do but scum excels at.

The film is about Carlin (Ray Winston), an out of control thug, who in his previous prisons was known as the "Daddy". Now in his new prison he is now trying to make the same name for himself and the only way he can do this is by taking the existing "Daddy's" title. This film is a realistic take on youth offender's institutes and I believe Alan Clarke the Director has got this down to a tee with Scum. It gives you the "grim" feel with its dark colours, and moody greys. But also with the minimal use of music, from watching the film I cannot remember if there is ANY soundtrack to this? Whether this was the idea or whether the budget was so low they couldn't afford a soundtrack I don't know, but either way it adds a miserable/grim side to the film. I am not too sure how old Ray Winston is supposed to be in this film but at such a young age he plays an outstanding part. Another great actor to look out for in this film is Carlin's fellow inmate, Archer. He gives this film the humorous edge and I personally believe he plays this part very well. This film is brought back down to earth by scenes of fighting, rape, abuse and suicide making it a film with many different sides.

This film is more than 25 years old which shows in some parts of the film (e.g. sound quality and picture quality) but will go down as one of the great British films in my books. This 2 Box set is a collector must, as it features the theatre version and the rarely seen BBC version (from what I have read previously, this film was first made by the BBC and from watching has many of the same actors in). Other extras with this 2 box set include an interview with producer Clive Parsons and writer Roy Minton and an image gallery. If you like other British films such films as "The Firm" and "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", I have a good feeling that you would enjoy this. To wrap up this DVD in one I would say buy it if you like violent films, if you have seen Scum before but do not own it, then buy this 2 box set as the extra features are really worth watching unlike most other collectors editions!

Thanks for reading and I hope you buy this DVD! Ross.