Made in Britain

Finally got to watch this movie. So true its worth watching even just to watch those expressions. We got a young and promising Tim Roth here playing Trevor the juvenile delinquent skin head. I watched it a second time before deciding to write this review. The first time I felt for the guy, I always felt somewhat that way for the underdog star that rebels against the straight ways of the society we live in. However watching it a second time i realized how annoying he is and how true it is that nobody was giving him any trouble whatsoever and that indeed he was always the one to bring it on himself. Everybody around him does nothing but try to help, OK he says he does not need any help, wants to be left in peace to do whatever he wants, but does that include having him allow others to live in peace? I love it towards the end he really loses it.

Made in britain is a gritty play/movie that shows the mentality of some of the youth during Thatcherite Britain when the Tory Government were about greed and cared nothing for the high unenmployment rate and crime rate.Tim Roth plays a youth who feels that the system has let him down and rebels against all authority and anybody who wants to help him. The language is very hard which only adds to the quality of the film and the acting from Tim Roth is of the highest standard especially considering this was his first big project. It is suprisingly fresh and has not dated and is a good reminder of how thing were for some people in the early eighties and also how the youth didnt want to help themselves because they felt society owed them something because we had the worst government of the twentieth century. 8 out of 10.

I first saw this episode of a few in the series when it was first released and was immediately taken by the story, as well as the performance of Tim Roth.

At the time I tried to find more things that Roth had done on his performance alone in Made In Britain but couldn't. Only years later, thanks to IMDB (cheers guys) did I realise that it was his first major role.

Back to the film. Set in the London I know I could relate to Trevor (Roth) as I was experiencing a similar thing at the time. A youth pushed into an attitude related to the Thatcher ideals of that time which kicked against the system of authority and its patronising values. The film (although intended as a television programme, but now can be viewed as a film in its own right) had all the zeitgeist required for one living in Britain, especially London, at that time. My friends and I spoke of it with much praise as we could relate to its sentiments. Events like the Brixton riots were indicative of such feelings.

Can this film still be relevant today? Frankly, yes. Britain was changing back in '81-'82 in many ways and appears to be swinging in a similar way once again. Only time will tell.

It is a gritty, documentary-style film that holds little back of an individual on a collision course with the imagined or real oppressor. Self-destructing because he feels it is his only freedom. Engaging and somewhat prophetic. You choose. I have not seen the film for many years now but relish the opportunity to view it again.

Saw it years ago by accident on PBS. Thought it was a documentary. They've only shown it once, to my knowledge (probably because so many complained about the foul language and nasty attitude of Trevor. Very unappetizing to American mid-western WASP sensibilities.). An absolutely stupifyingly mind-blowing performance by Tim Roth. Once you see, you won't forget.

I've seen this film a number of times over the last few years. The first time I ever saw it, I was an idealistic young scamp who'd done very well at school. Needless to say, I spent the entire film hoping that this desperately intelligent character would pull out of the spiral he'd got himself into.

A bit of personal history, which I don't normally supply, but in this case I believe it's pertinent. My grandfather hails from Pakistan, which is something that should make me despise this film, as Trevor, the main character, constantly harangues a Pakistani shopkeeper called Mr. Shanawaz. However, on repeated viewings I have consistently found this to be one of the best films ever made.

Roth plays a disaffected, supremely intelligent young man called Trevor who knows far more about the world than his "betters" would wish him to. His "betters" are social workers, and those responsible for making sure that he will eventually integrate into the wider British society.

Trevor is unrelenting and has no qualms about describing the society in which he lives. On my first viewing, I was horrified by his racist attitudes and the beliefs he subscribes to. However, the most important part of this film is Trevor's honesty. Honesty, however horrific it is, is Trevor's primary motivation. After watching it again and again, this is what comes through more than anything else. Trevor is uncompromising. He refuses to let society dictate his own opinions, even when that society kicks him and beats him. Trevor almost never misleads people, and practices his mantra almost to the letter. His integrity is never in doubt. Like him or hate him, you will respect the fact that he stands for his beliefs.

Made In Britain is a film about standing up for what you believe in, no matter how extreme those beliefs are. Trevor's beliefs are so compelling that he even convinces a black teenager ( Errol ) to shout "You baboons, get back to the jungle!". It also provides an incisive social commentary on the Britain of 1982. It isn't the integrated melting pot that government would have you believe it is. Following recent racial tension in Oldham and other towns in the North of England, the film's message seems particularly poignant now.

There are very few bad performances in this movie, the notable exception being the female teenagers in the JobCentre. Overall, it is a superb film that should be approached with an open mind - providing a message that all is not well in multi-racial Britain.