This Is England

Village Voice by

Facile pop psychology is the real tragedy here, a double disappointment given the film's smart take on pop culture.

Newsweek by David Ansen

It has the feel of a classic coming-of-age story. It's the sleeper of the summer.

New York Daily News by Jack Mathews

Turgoose, in his first film role, is entirely convincing as the strong-willed but naïve Shaun, and Graham is a genuine fright as the feral prototype of the violent skinhead culture on the horizon.

TV Guide Magazine by Ken Fox

British director Shane Meadows' strongest film to date is also his most personal: A stylish fictionalization of his own wayward youth, spent among a group of working-class skinheads in Thatcher's England.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

Sad, menacing, empathetic story.

The New York Times by Manohla Dargis

A modest, near-flawless gem, This Is England is the fifth feature by the young British director Shane Meadows, doing his best work since he first hit the festival scene in the mid-1990s with his hilarious, raw-hewn shorts “Small Time.”

The A.V. Club by Noel Murray

Taut, tense, and self-consciously stylish.

New York Post by V.A. Musetto

The 34-year-old Meadows has assembled an effective cast, especially newcomer Thomas Turgoose as Shaun and veteran Stephen Graham as Combo.