filmbore pick of the week - Scum

Scum

Director: Alan Clarke
Screenplay: Roy Minton
Starring: Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, John Blundell, Phil Daniels, Ray Burdis, Philip Jackson, John Judd, Bill Dean
Year: 1979
Language: English
UK rental release: 1983 (VHS), February 2003 (DVD)

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Another delay in the pick of the week filmborians. My deepest apologies, yet again. And, as I've been such a naughty boy I've decided that I must be sufficiently punished. So, off to the nick I go, for this week's pick, the modern British classic, Scum.

Three young lads are in the back of a van, handcuffed, and are heading in silence to their new home - to Borstal. Each have committed crimes and are being taken in as young offenders, ready to serve a sentence for their heinous acts.

One of them is Carlin (Ray Winstone, Sexy Beast, Cold Mountain), who hadn't originally committed any crime, instead taking the rap for his brother for some scrap metal theft. Since his term begin, however, he's been encroached into the game, and this current transfer is thanks to numerous counts of violence towards wardens.

But these new 'screws' pack a bit more of a punch than Carlin is used to, especially the bolshy Mr Sands (John Judd) and the slight more sensitive, if cold Mr Greaves (Philip Jackson, Little Voice, Brassed Off). The only guard that holds a brief respite of respective for the young criminals is Mr Duke (Bill Dean, Family Life). He's a couple of years off retirement and tries to retain some hope for the inmates' rehabilitation.

Inside, Carlin meets Archer (Mick Ford, Light Years Away, The Knowledge), who takes an alternative approach to his time inside. He wants to do everything in his power to frustrate his keepers, playing the role of the procrastinator, purely in order to cause plenty of mischief while keeping himself out of the loop of the hard kids of the Borstal.

The toughest of these youths is 'Pongo' Banks (John Blundell, Junket 89), the 'Daddy' of the borstal, roaming the corridors, barking orders and beating up those that he sees fit. Drunk with power and fury, he's the unofficial leader of his wing. And, with whispers from the wardens of how the other teens should be treated, he's feared by all. 

With his two lackeys, Eckersley (Ray Burdis, Final Cut) and Richards (Phil Daniels, Quadrophenia, Meantime) at his beck and call, will anyone dare stand up to him? Things can change. Carlin may see to that. Can he establish himself as the new Daddy?

This is a proper British film! Directed by Alan Clarke (known for other well known British fare such as Rita, Sue And Bob Too! and, previously reviewed here on filmbore, Made In Britain) it's a sharp entrance into the world of independent UK cinema. And, taking into account its ridiculously low budget of just £250,000, this is no mean feat.

It was originally intended as part of the BBC's Play For Today series, yet its ultra-violent approach frightened broadcasters, leading to them removing it from their roster. A couple of years later, with enthusiasm from the director and, the film's scribe, Roy Minton, it was remade into a film and shown on an opposing channel in 1983.

For those of you who are not from the UK and haven't heard the term before, a borstal is a reform school for juvenile offenders. Not strictly a prison, it is still an establishment of incarceration, with the intention of improving the inmates through the term of their sentence, helping them to improve as men so that they can better fit back into society. 

Yet, as expected, there are numerous pitfalls for the young men to fall into, while the same level of oppression is sometimes abused by a number of the wardens, drunk with power. These aspects are explored at quite alarming detail in Scum. Such an environment, fuelled with these politics and behaviours, provides a wonderful canvas for any number of performers to take advantage of. Thankfully, both the established mature actors and the many newcomers playing the juvenile offenders take up this challenge with gusto.

In fact, it is these "new bloods", carrying such weight in this picture, that elevates the film to the heights it so readily deserves to sit upon. It's a simply incredible young cast in such a minimal piece. And seeing, now renowned, Ray Winstone as a young man, showing the world his ability to command the lens with his natural flare, is breathtaking. His portrayal of Carlin is heady, unnerving and astute.

There is another star player which needs mention. Mick Ford really stands out as Archer. Charismatic, intelligent and a little on the skewed side of the mental fence, he's unlike the rest of the inmates. Where many may fill roles of what is now deemed as stereotypes of prison films (except a lot of this was still fresh back then), Archer is a being unto himself. Cheeky to all his superiors, with a constant vein of righteousness, it's as if he is ever so slightly indestructible; he's a joke to them all and they let him have his way, which is exactly what he wants. The film is great as it stands, but with Ford handling his character in his own unique way, he makes this picture excellent.

Beyond the rich characters though is a vein of importance rarely explored in modern dramas. This picture can also be quite harrowing and truly gruesome and, even with the horrific realism of some moments (the gardening scene in particular), this piece knows the relevance and importance of addressing its key themes with an air of unexpected maturity.

It highlights, in its microcosmic way, the intense hatred held by some of those of a different culture and race. Racism is one key provocation throughout the piece, with slurs and abuse a-plenty. More shocking is how those of an ethnic background are treated by the wardens after they are abused by their fellow inmates. It demonstrates how deep the presence of isolation and oppression goes, held by those of angst and hatred, unnecessarily so.

Such intensely deep emotions and surprising outbursts lead me to this warning: this film is brutally violent! Not your horror-style gory violence either, but realistic assaults that will strike a nerve with any of you. Strangely, this is one of the appeals of this film, grounding the story with a genuine feel and reminding you of what the terrors of prison can be like, even for young offenders.

Such disorder and ferocity play an important part too, its very existence forming a full-grown character. The brutality has a rightful place in this story, its mere presence imperative to the plot threads and the ever-building tension. For instance, 'that scene with the pool ball and sock', which Scum is now so famous for, still holds firm to this very day. It builds to the key moments, with Winstone cold faced up until the 'crunch' moment, while the camera holds him in frame all through the scene, before and after 'that swing'. It's a crucial piece of independent, low budget, homegrown British cinema which is well-known for all the right reasons, and not just because of the pulpiness of a bit of bloodshed.

Yes, it is controversial but it wouldn't be Scum without its shock and bravery. It sits within a genre that, through the years since its release, it is now suffocated by identikit penitentiary movies, all with similar plot devices and the obvious dilemmas throughout. However, through its self righteousness and proud identity, it puts all these other pictures to shame, reminding them, and us, that this is the quintessential UK prison film: raw, startling and fearful. 

And while it has all this going for it, it demonstrates the power of youth; how their courage and personality can seep through their performances making a good film great.

It may be over thirty years old, yet it still able to stir up the emotions it strives to reveal. It's hefty and relentless, and many brilliant British movies still can't stand up to its hardcore persona. If, after all this time, it still stands tall above the rest, it says a lot for the quality of film making and performances, with such little finances and pocket full of ambition. Still cracking, still powerful... and still the Daddy!

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