A Room for Romeo Brass

Hidden as it was in the BBC schedules, I nearly missed this gem of a film. Shane Meadows seems to improve with every picture, following up the raw promise of 'Small Time' and the almost great 'TwentyFourSeven' with this priceless jewel, which is proof that Meadows alone carries the torch of the British film industry forward amidst the Guy Ritchie pap we churn out on a regular basis.

Although the acting from some of the minor characters was a bit on the dodgy side, Paddy Considine shone as the socially inadequate Morrell and the two lads (and their fathers in a memorably frightening final scene) did a solid job. Credit must also go to the screenwriter Paul Fraser, who has breathed some life into the cliched, patronizing 'working class' sceenplays that featured in 'Brassed Off', or (worse) 'The Full Monty'. The usual 'working class' signifiers (a guest appearance by Kathy Burke, or chain smoking as a character trait) were thankfully missing.

'A Room For Romeo Brass' was an excellent piece of observation. The character Morrell brings back awful memories of acquaintances I had in my youth, and these people still hang around the estate like the foulest of stenches. The film replicated 'life' in a way that Danny Boyle would fail to comprehend.

There were some minor imperfections (for instance, the music was over the top), but Meadows is only 29, he has time to perfect his craft. For everyone disillusioned with British film and its compulsion to chase the dollar, this film will restore that lost faith.