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This Is England

2007 • 1h 42m •
Drama Crime
MOVIEVIBE Rating
★ 7.5/10
1,461 reviews
Your Rating
This Is England

A story about a troubled boy growing up in England, set in 1983. He comes across a few skinheads on his way home from school, after a fight. They become his new best friends, even like family. Based on experiences of director Shane Meadows.

"Run with the crowd, stand alone, you decide."

Top Billed Cast

Thomas Turgoose
Thomas Turgoose
Shaun
Stephen Graham
Stephen Graham
Combo
Jo Hartley
Jo Hartley
Cynth
Andrew Shim
Andrew Shim
Milky
Vicky McClure
Vicky McClure
Lol
Joseph Gilgun
Joseph Gilgun
Woody
Rosamund Hanson
Rosamund Hanson
Smell
Andrew Ellis
Andrew Ellis
Gadget

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

B badelf Verified TMDB Critic
2026-03-12

Directed by Shane Meadows

“How economic precarity and national humiliation curdle into hate” could be the subtitle of This Is England, but that makes it sound more schematic than it is. What Shane Meadows has made here is first and foremost one of the most fascinating coming‑of‑age films I’ve ever seen, and only secondarily a political anatomy of how a lonely child becomes raw material for the far right.

Coming‑of‑age stories are often simple, no matter how good. A kid meets friends, discovers sex, music, rebellion, maybe loss. This Is England gives you all of that and then...