--- title: "This Is England" year: 2007 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/this-is-england" fi1m_id: "this-is-england" imdb_id: "tt0480025" tmdb_id: 11798 wikidata_id: "Q748205" fi1m_score: 85 critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:21.562025+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # This Is England (2007) Directed by Shane Meadows · 1h 42m · MPA NR · Drama, Crime ## Identity This Is England - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/this-is-england - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** this-is-england - **IMDb ID:** tt0480025 - **TMDB ID:** 11798 - **Wikidata ID:** Q748205 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480025/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11798, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q748205 **Fi1m score: 85** · Critics 84 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* The skinheads are good company until someone starts taking England personally > Shane Meadows makes the appeal of a skinhead gang painfully understandable through Thomas Turgoose’s Shaun. The political lessons can be too neatly arranged, but the warmth, humour and frightening performances earn our strong recommendation. ## Synopsis In England in 1983, Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) is a lonely boy who finds company among a group of skinheads. Their shared days offer him something he has been missing: a place among people who seem to want him around. Shane Meadows’s drama follows Shaun into this working-class youth culture, where friendship and the wish to belong become entangled with nationalism. Stephen Graham plays Combo, whose influence brings racist politics into Shaun’s search for companionship. The cast also includes Joseph Gilgun as Woody, Vicky McClure as Lol and Andrew Shim as Milky. ## Review *This Is England* is a persuasive, troubling drama because Shane Meadows takes the pleasures of belonging seriously. Shaun is a lonely boy in 1983 England, and the skinhead gang offers company before it offers anything resembling a political education. We recommend it warmly, with a reservation about how neatly Meadows sometimes connects a child’s needs to the adults’ beliefs. For much of the film, though, he lets us understand why Shaun would want to be there. Thomas Turgoose gives Shaun a stubbornness that saves him from becoming a child supplied for our pity. The pleasure he takes in being accepted is enough to make the gang attractive, and Meadows allows its humour and idle companionship to take up space. We were moved by how much that welcome means to him. The performance makes us feel the value of being noticed when loneliness has become ordinary, and gives us a reason to fear for Shaun before the politics become explicit. Stephen Graham’s Combo makes the politics frightening. We can understand why a boy might look to him for authority, and Graham makes that possibility disturbing without asking us to admire the man. His performance keeps personal need close to the racist beliefs, so the hatred feels capable of entering an ordinary conversation. This is where the casting matters most: Turgoose makes Shaun’s hunger for attention credible enough that Graham does not have to make Combo likeable. Danny Cohen’s cinematography serves the performances well; we keep watching people for signs of acceptance, amusement or unease. Mark Leese’s production design makes the working-class setting persuasive, while Jo Thompson’s costumes help us believe in the gang’s shared identity. The recreation of the 1980s does not become an invitation to admire the period detail. These people seem at home in their surroundings, with the young ensemble allowed to suggest friendships that began before Shaun arrived. Chris Wyatt’s editing makes the passage from humour to menace feel increasingly difficult to escape. The early idleness is important: we need time to enjoy the gang before the film asks us to examine it. Ludovico Einaudi’s score helps us feel the change, although its emotional guidance can be a little too insistent when the performances have already made the point. At 102 minutes, the film has room for this shift without making the companionship seem like an extended introduction. The larger reservation is with Meadows’s screenplay. At times, its account of a lonely child’s susceptibility to nationalism is so orderly that we can see the lesson arriving before the people have finished talking. The performances keep disrupting that neatness, but it remains a limitation in a film otherwise so attentive to the untidy ways people behave. We would have welcomed more room for the gang’s different loyalties to remain difficult to explain, rather than being made to serve Shaun’s education. As a coming-of-age drama, it asks a child to make sense of adult grievances he should never have to carry. Turgoose keeps Shaun recognisable even when the writing loads too much significance onto him. Watch it when neither of you has to be good company afterwards. *Fi1m score 85, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The consensus is strongly positive, with praise clustering around Shane Meadows’ recreation of working-class England in the 1980s and the performances of Thomas Turgoose and Stephen Graham. Critics find the young lead natural and engaging, while Graham gives the film much of its disturbing force. The reviews repeatedly value its account of belonging: the humour and companionship that draw a lonely boy into skinhead culture, and the ways those loyalties become vulnerable to racism and nationalism. The differences are mainly matters of emphasis rather than substantial dissent. Empire finds some familiar, predictable elements in Meadows’ storytelling, while Time Out acknowledges that parts feel schematic; both judge the performances strong enough to outweigh those reservations. Slant Magazine praises the use of music to manage changes in tone but finds the resolution underdramatised. Across the reviews, enthusiasm varies more than the underlying assessment of the film’s strengths. ## Straight answers **Is This Is England worth watching?** *This Is England* is worth watching for anyone who can sit with a drama about a lonely boy drawn into a skinhead gang, and we scored it 85. Thomas Turgoose and Stephen Graham make the pull of belonging and the arrival of racist politics equally believable. Our reservation is a screenplay that sometimes arranges its lessons too neatly. **How long is This Is England, and what is it rated?** *This Is England* runs 1h 42m and is rated NR by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and crime film. **Where can I watch This Is England in the US?** *This Is England* is not on any streaming or rental service in the US at the moment. It is available in 6 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is This Is England, and is it suitable for children?** *This Is England* carries an 18 certificate in the UK and is not suitable for children. The racist politics that enter the gang through Stephen Graham's Combo make the second half frightening, and the film moves from idle humour to menace that becomes hard to escape. Older teenagers and adults prepared for that shift are its audience. **How does This Is England compare to Kes?** *This Is England* and [*Kes*](https://film.one/film/kes) both follow a stubborn working-class boy whose small pleasures matter more than the adults around him understand. Ken Loach's film is the gentler and funnier of the two, staying close to a child and his kestrel, while Shane Meadows leads his boy into adult grievances and racist politics. Watch *Kes* for warmth, *This Is England* when you can take the menace. **What should I watch after This Is England?** After *This Is England*, try [*Kes*](https://film.one/film/kes) (1970, Fi1m 88): Another stubborn boy whose small pleasures matter more than the adults understand. Then [*La Haine*](https://film.one/film/la-haine) (1995, Fi1m 90): Friendship and aimlessness turn dangerous when young men are treated as enemies; and [*Ratcatcher*](https://film.one/film/ratcatcher) (1999, Fi1m 88): Childhood loneliness and working-class hardship, observed with patience and unexpected tenderness. ### Reviews we read (13) - **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (A-): Meadows crafts a taut, tense time capsule of Midlands life in 1983 that shows how skinhead camaraderie can turn to hooliganism and factionalism. The film excels at capturing idleness turning into a pointed statement about national identity and loss. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/this-is-england-1798202857) - **Total Film** (90/100, inferred): The review calls it an electric, stunning and powerful movie crammed with extraordinary performances and names it the best British film of the year. It singles out the film's timely and resonant depiction of intolerance, youth, and national identity in 1983 England, along with strong naturalistic performances especially from Thomas Turgoose and Stephen Graham. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/this-is-england-review/) - **Empire**, Dan Jolin (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the film deeply impressive as both a recreation of 1980s working-class England and an intimate tale of one childhood's brutal end, praising the quality of the performances especially Stephen Graham as Combo and newcomer Thomas Turgoose as Shaun. It notes some predictability from the director's prior work but highlights the bruising emotional impact and how the performances supersede it. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/england-review/) - **Radio Times**, Jamie Russell (4/5): The review describes the film as a semi-autobiographical portrait that starts touchingly funny before turning disturbing, pivoting on a child and a disturbed father figure. Meadows is said to have produced what could well be his masterpiece through a superb young lead performance and brilliant evocation of Thatcher-era working-class despair. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-dlsd6k/this-is-england/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (80/100, inferred): The film is a taut, tense exploration of how a lonely boy joins a skinhead gang that starts benign but turns violent and racist under a new leader. It authentically shows the appeal of group belonging amid poverty and absent fathers while explaining the subculture's shift toward neo-Nazism. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/this-is-england-2007) - **Time Out**, Ben Walters (4/5): The critic praises Meadows' assured insights into the pleasures and wages of tribalism and nationalism in 1980s England, noting how the film shows the urge to belong being spun into political capital. The superb performances of the young ensemble, especially Turgoose and Graham, are highlighted as outweighing any schematic elements. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/this-is-england) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (75/100, inferred): The critic praises Shane Meadows' quasi-autobiographical film as a sad, painful and sometimes funny coming-of-age story about skinheads in 1980s Britain. It highlights the winning performance by newcomer Thomas Turgoose and the director's attempt to reclaim skinhead culture while acknowledging its darker elements. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/apr/27/drama2) - **IndieWire**, Nick Pinkerton: The review examines Shane Meadows's portrait of skinhead subculture and class tensions in 1980s England through the eyes of a grieving boy. It highlights the film's blend of camaraderie, violence, and social commentary. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-strangeways-here-we-come-shane-meadowss-this-is-england-74215/) - **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager: Meadows delivers an affectionate yet blistering look at the skinhead movement's roots in socioeconomic tensions rather than pure racism, anchored by strong performances especially from young Thomas Turgoose and Stephen Graham. The tonal shifts via music are effective, though the resolution feels underdramatized. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/this-is-england/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**: The film offers a tough but moving neo-realist portrait of a disillusioned boy joining a skinhead gang and encountering neo-Nazi politics in early-1980s Britain. It stands as one of the better recent British films, with authentic details of the era. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/missing-headline-145224/) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis: A modest, near-flawless gem that is an autobiographical homage to 1980s skinhead youth culture in Thatcher’s Britain, blending gentleness and brutality in its political lament for lost camaraderie and hopes. The newcomer lead performance and the director’s assured handling of the material stand out. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/movies/27engl.html) - **Variety**, Leslie Felperin: Meadows’ most fluently made film so far is a taut ’80s-set dramedy about a skinhead gang, with knockout lead performances from a mix of pros and non-pros and fresh, engaging work from the young lead. It accurately captures the era’s working-class culture, masculinity, humor, and violence in an autobiographical story. [Read](https://variety.com/2006/film/markets-festivals/this-is-england-1200514585/) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (95/100, inferred): The critic calls it the best British film for years and urges viewers not to miss it. She singles out the naturalistic lead performance by Thomas Turgoose and the way the film captures both the era's atmosphere and ongoing social issues. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/this-is-england-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Details - **Director:** Shane Meadows - **Director:** Shane Meadows - **Screenplay:** Shane Meadows - **Cinematography:** Danny Cohen - **Editor:** Chris Wyatt - **Music:** Ludovico Einaudi - **Production design:** Mark Leese - **Costume design:** Jo Thompson - **Producer:** Mark Herbert - **Cast:** Thomas Turgoose as Shaun; Stephen Graham as Combo; Jo Hartley as Cynth; Andrew Shim as Milky; Vicky McClure as Lol; Joe Gilgun as Woody; Rosamund Hanson as Smell; Andrew Ellis as Gadget - **Runtime:** 1h 42m - **Certificate (MPA):** NR - **Release (the US):** 27 July 2007 - **Genres:** Drama, Crime - **Budget:** $2 million - **Box office:** $8 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfoJx6t97RE ## Where to watch in the US Not streaming, renting or buying in the US at the last check. Also available in: AT, CH, DE, ES, FR, GB. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - BAFTA Film Awards 2007: Best British Film (won) ## If you liked this - *Kes* (1970), Fi1m 88: Another stubborn boy whose small pleasures matter more than the adults understand — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kes.md) - *La Haine* (1995), Fi1m 90: Friendship and aimlessness turn dangerous when young men are treated as enemies — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/la-haine.md) - *Ratcatcher* (1999), Fi1m 88: Childhood loneliness and working-class hardship, observed with patience and unexpected tenderness — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ratcatcher.md) - *Fanny and Alexander* (1982), Fi1m 92: A child’s need for warmth meets an adult’s appetite for control — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander.md) - *The White Ribbon* (2009), Fi1m 86: A sterner look at how adults teach children obedience and cruelty — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-white-ribbon.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/this-is-england