Lower-middle-class lad Carty (Nicky Bell) wants to be in The Pack, the gang from the council estate which fights at football matches. Elvis (Liam Boyle) is the bridge to it, spanning between the two cultures and reluctantly agrees to get him in. It's run by an older man, John Godden (Stephen Graham), who's married with several children, and includes members Billy (Lee Battle), Marty (Michael Ryan), Robbie (Sean Ward), Pee Wee (Anthony Borrows), Eddie (David Barlow), Jimmy (Elliot Hughes). In particular it includes Baby (Oliver Lee), who has it in for Carty from the start - but Carty stands up to him. The Pack sets off for a football match, and fight hard with the hard boys from the other side, leaving wounded victims lying down. After the match is over they come home triumphant on the train.

It's Liverpool in 1979, and mum Mrs Carty died a year ago. Molly (Holliday Grainger) is Carty's schoolgirl sister (school-leaving age in 70s Liverpool must have been flexible - Molly looks in her late 20s) and she and Carty have a loving relationship. Carty has an easy-going and warm relationship with his Uncle Bob (Ian Puleston-Davies) - who is also his boss at work where Carty wears a suit. Mr Carty (Ged Mckenna) doesn't figure much in the story but his relationship with both children seems loving. Their suburban house is comfortably furnished, sofas, chintzy. Molly has a Lou Reed poster on her wall and a comfortable bed. Tucking her duvet in as she goes off to sleep, Carty gives her a lingering look with possibly incestuous overtones.

Elvis is gay but ambiguous about revealing it. Certainly not to The Pack - though the relationships within that have a homo-erotic feel, particularly between older-man John and his much younger soldiers. He's an ex-army man with a bristling little moustache, extremely violent. He gives the order to fight by dropping a plastic coffee cup, and leads very much from the front. But Elvis loves Carty. And Elvis takes drugs. It starts with marijuana, which he smokes a lot of the time in his elaborately-decorated bedsit - red-draped walls, quite hippy-ish, posters. He moves on to smack. John hates smack, and hits Baby across the face, telling him not to bring smack into The Pack's life. Carty won't smoke dope or smack, though Elvis wants him to.

Elvis must have Carty's loyalty, and tests it by making him join him for a day when Carty has promised to take poor doting Molly out shopping for a treat after school on her birthday. He deserts her - reluctantly - to bond with Elvis. She waits and waits outside school - the girls at her school wear a very elaborately-formal uniform including wide-brimmed hats - and then sadly goes home by herself. Carty must do this, because Elvis is his passage into Pack acceptance. On the other hand, Carty can get on the guestlist of the local elite music club where the best bands (Miles Kane (singer), Joe Edwards (bass player), Greg Mighall (drummer)) play. That's above Elvis's social station - he feels - and he likes it.

Elvis is shocked when Carty head-butts a gay assistant (Anthony Berry) in a record shop, and excited by Carty's look of ecstasy during The Pack's violent fighting. Carty becomes extremely violent, practising moves in front of his bedroom mirror with the Stanley knife he's taken from the kitchen drawer. He's drawn to women, but spurts prematurely over tarty Janie (Danielle Malone), and fails to satisfy another woman while taking her vigorously from behind. He meets lovely Natasha (Sacha Parkinson) in the nightclub. She's from the council estate and Elvis tells her Carty is gay - he's jealous. But Natasha and Carty get together later in the story - and perhaps their future is together.

Elvis is a romantic, a poet, and looks dreamily out across the water as ships rest and depart. Berlin is his dream destination and he talks to Carty about his longing to be able to leave. As he gets more and more deeply into drugs his longing to leave becomes greater, but he knows that it won't happen - the place he's longing for isn't in the present world.

When Molly is hit in the face by Will (Tom Cottle), one of the punchable (well-spoken) tossers at the local rugby club (others played by Joel Murray and Dean Smith), for turning him down , Carty goes to hit them alone. He's knocked to the ground. He comes to Elvis to enlist The Pack in retaliation.

The Pack has internal fractures - Baby's instability and resentment of John's authority is boiling up. The Pack's ready to fight the Rugger Buggers. They fight The Wools (leaders played by Clyve Bonelle, Laurence Easeman, Philip Hancock). Baby is ready to get revenge on John. Elvis is spinning downwards emotionally, caught in a vortex of nihilism and the knowledge that he can't have Carty's love. And on the light side he's head-butted Santa (Paul Broughton).

Will Carty go back to art college and become properly middle-class? Will he expunge or go with his inclination to slashing/smashing people's faces? Will he have successful sex with a woman (hopefully not his sister)? Will it all end in tragedy (for at least two of them)? And extremely violent violence?

Designer Mark Tanner, art director Lucienne Suren, standby art director Mally Smith and the whole art and design team create a mesmeric evocation - with some bits, such as the obsession with trainers and Elvis's blue military coat, probably a lot of years out of synch with the 1979 setting (maybe not, and it doesn't matter anyhow) - of a place in time that's compelling, and contains the story exactly. Director of photography Curtes Lee Mitchell catches the much-filmed frontage of Liverpool's Liver-Building-dominated harbour and various Mersey settings in a completely new way. The cinematography is lingering and sensual, and Mark Elliott's editing cuts it into what become extended moods rather than scenes, as if joining together a series of paintings in which the characters are alive.

The film works to a strong musical score - right from the bounding opening sequence to the end of the credits. Original music is by David A Hughes, with additional music by Paul E Francis and classical piano by Vadim Jean. Music consultant Charlie Galloway picks a stunning collection of recorded tracks, with lots of Joy Division and Ultravox. Steeleye Span deliver Gaudette while Father Christmas gets nutted, and The Amnesiacs's Top Yourself points to one possible solution.

Director Pat Holden deserves a medal and will probably get several for this quite magnificent and remarkable film. It's extremely exciting, and gorgeously told. What a joy to watch a film where time passes in an instant, with not one boring or superfluous second. It never looks archly at itself from a distance, there's no clever irony - simply a lovingly-written script full of human understanding. Writer Kevin Sampson is the man responsible for this, and it's a fine achievement. If British films were always as good as this, or even occasionally, that's what cinemas would show.

Producer David A Hughes deserves great credit for having the guts and perserverance to stick behind this project and get it financed and made: it can't have been an easy ride, because the concept of the film is highly unusual - it's not a genre retro film, not a comedy, not a documentary, though it has elements of all these things. It's not a football film either, or a coming-of-age film, though it's those things too. At the centre it is simply a well-made - in all respects, from story, dialogue, cinematographically, all the film technical stuff, acting, direction - human story, full of loving understanding of how people are, faults, joys, dreams.

CAST (film end credits order): THE PACK: Carty - Nicky Bell. Elvis - Liam Boyle. Godden - Stephen Graham. Baby - Oliver Lee. Billy - Lee Battle. Marty - Michael Ryan. Robbie - Sean Ward. Pee Wee - Anthony Borrows. Eddie - David Barlow. Jimmy - Elliot Hughes. // THE CARTY FAMILY: Molly - Holliday Grainger. Uncle Bob - Ian Puleston-Davies. Mr Carty - Ged Mckenna. // THE GIRLS: Suzy - Lianna Sorza. Janie - Danielle Malone. Natasha - Sacha Parkinson. Sonya - Rebecca Atkinson. Jackie - Samantha Mccarthy. // THE RUGGERBUGGERS: Will - Tom Cottle. Rugger Bugger 1 - Joel Murray. Rugger Bugger 2 - Dean Smith. // THE WOOLS: Wool Leader 1 - Clyve Bonelle. Wool Leader 2 - Laurence Easeman. Wool Leader 3 - Philip Hancock. // Santa - Paul Broughton. Goth 1 - Sam Curtis. Goth 2 - Anthony Berry. // Singer - Miles Kane. Bass Player - Joe Edwards. Drummer - Greg Mighall. The Rascals Appear Courtesy Of Deltasonic Records.. Credits Source - producer's notes at LFF screening 8 October 08 (imdb page is www.imdb.com/title/tt1137436/).

MUSIC: (film end credits order): GOING UP: Written by I Mcculloch, W Sergeant, L Pattinson, P De Freitas. Performed by Echo & The Bunnymen. Published by Zoo Music (GB), Warner Chappell Music. Licensed by Warner Records. // THE LIGHT POURS OUT OF ME: Written by P Shelley, J Mcgeoch, H Devoto. Performed by Magazine. Published by Mute Song, Complete Music Ltd, Rykomusic Ltd. Licensed by EMI Records. // NAG NAG NAG: Written by R Kirk, S Mallinder, C Watson. Performed by Cabaret Voltaire. Published by Complete Music Ltd, Universal Publishing. Licensed by EMI Records. // INSIGHT: Written by I Curtis, P Hook, S Morris, B Sumner. Performed by Joy Division. Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd. Licensed by Warner Records. // 24 HOURS: Written by I Curtis, P Hook, S Morris, B Sumner. Performed by Joy Division. Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd. Licensed by Warner Records. // 10:15 SATURDAY NIGHT: Written by M Dempsey, R Smith, L Tolhurst. Performed by The Cure. Published by Fiction Songs Ltd, Universal Publishing. Licensed by Universal Records (Non Us & Canada) / Warner Music (Us & Canada). // GAUDETTE (Traditional) : Arranged by M Prior, T Hart, P Knight, B Johnson, R Kemp. Performed by Steeleye Span. Publisjhed by Southern Music Publishing Ltd, Peermusic Ltd. Licensed by Peer Southern. // JUST FOR A MOMENT: Written by B Currie, J Foxx. Performed by Ultravox. Published by Island Music Ltd, Universal Publishing. Licensed by Universal Records. // DISLOCATION: Written by B Currie, J Foxx. Performed by Ultravox. Published by Island Music Ltd, Universal Publishing. Licensed by Universal Records. // SLOW MOTION: Written by B Currie, R Simon, C Allen, W Cann, J Foxx. Performed by Ultravox. Published by Island Music Ltd, Universal Publishing. Licensed by Universal Records. // YOUNG SAVAGE: Written by B Currie, D Leigh, S Shears, J Foxx. Performed by Ultravox. Published by Island Music Ltd, Universal Publishing. Licensed by Universal Records. // ALL THAT JAZZ: Written by I Mcculloch, W Sergeant, L Pattinson, P De Freitas. Performed by The Rascals. Published by Zoo Music (GB), Warner Publishing. The Rascals Appear Courtesy Of Deltasonic Records. // TOP YOURSELF: Written by Webster, Mcdermott, Nugent & Roberts. Performed by The Amnesiacs. Published by Copyright Control. Licensed by The Amnesiacs. Credits Source - producer's notes at LFF screening 8 October 08 (imdb page is www.imdb.com/title/tt1137436/).

COMPANY: (film end credits order): Director - Pat Holden. Writer - Kevin Sampson. Producer - David A Hughes. Executive Producers - Kevin Sampson, Howard Klein. Line Producer - Stephen Cheers. Production Co-Ordinator - Dominique Molloy. Production Secretary - Steve Harwood. Production Assistant - Billie Hughes, Kristina Hegyes. Production Runner - Paul E Francis. First Assistant Director - Simon Noone. Second Assistant Director - Paul Tighe. Third Assistant Director - Emma Peter, Sarah Kenyon. Floor Runners - Josh Bendon, Paul Barren. Designer - Mark Tanner. Art Director - Lucienne Suren. Standby Art Director - Mally Smith. Production Buyer - Lena Kelsall-Boyle. Prop Master - Alan Shaw. Standby Props - Dave Powell. Standby Carpenter - Terry Hayes. Art Runner - Natalie Grant. Art Department Facilities - Station Hotel. Art Department Facilities Manager - Stephan Laprugne. Legal Services - Craig Dickson (Curtis Brown), Nick Marston (Curtis Brown), Jonathan Coad(Swan Turton). Film Accountants - Steve Beckwith (Malthouse & Co, Liverpool). Insurance - Hiscox and Media Insurance. Casting - Michelle Smith. Director Of Photography - Curtes Lee Mitchell. Steadicam Operator - Alan Glover. Phantom Operators - Paul Lilley, Stuart Windle. Focus Puller - Sascha Werdehausen, Kim Tunstall, Tobin Jones. Camera Assistant - Tobin Jones. Grip - Chris Rusby. Grip Assistant - Chris Hewitt. Hd Technician - Tania Freimuth. Neg Checker - Stephen Walker. Lighting Gaffer - Anatoly Neznanov. Reshoot Gaffer - Peter Cartwright. Best Boy - Vinny Cowper. Costume Designer - Monica Aslanian. Costume Supervisor - Gini Lewis. Costume Assistant - Nicky Barren, Elizabeth Webb. Stills Cameramen - John Johnson, Terry Hayes. Wardrobe Consultant - Dave Hewitson (80's Casuals). Set Baby - Leo Sampson. 2nd Unit Wardrobe - Audrey Hughes. 2nd Unit Wardrobe Assistant - Frankie Hughes. Film Editor - Mark Elliott. First Assistant Editor - Rhys Barter. Assistant Editor - Marc Mcdermott. Post Production Facilities - ESP Multimedia (www.espmultimedia.co.uk). Post Production Supervisor - David Harry. DVD & CD Duplication - CD Duplicator, Birkenhead. Post Production Sound Synchronization - John Ellwood (Synchro Arts). Visual Effects - Méliès, London. Digital Compositor - Reuben Barkataki, Salima Needham, Kim Stevenson. VFX Producer - Simon Thomas. Additional Visual Effects - David Harry (ESP Multimedia). Digital Intermediate - Dragon DIi. Colourist - Rob May. DI Executive - Tony Ray. DI Producer - Julie Pucher. Digital Clean-Up - Michele De Benedetti. VFX Artist and DI Operator - Myfanwy Harris. Production Executive For Dragon DI - James Ballard. Film Scanning and Recording Manager - Paul J Wright. Supervising Sound Editor - Paul Davies. Dialogue Editors - Antonia Bates, Peter Shaw. ADR Editor - Ian Morgan. Sound Effects Editors - Paul Davies, Chu-Li Shewring. Sound Editing Facility - PDSoundDesign. Foley Supervisor - Tim Alban. Foley Recorded by - Clarity Post Production Sound Limited. Foley Editor - Chris Treble. Assistant Re-Recording Editor - Chris Treble. Re-Recording Mixer - Richard Davey. Re-Recorded at - Future Post Production. Adr Recordists - Tom Deane (Mayflower), Mike Stewart (Soundhouse, Manchester), Steve Haynes (Lip Sync Post). Original Music - David A Hughes. Additional Music - Paul E Francis. Classical Piano - Vadim Jean. Music Consultant - Charlie Galloway. Web Manager (Red Union Films) - Rhys Barter. Location Manager - Paul Grant. Unit Manager - Ken Couche. Location Assistant - Tom Woods. Location Consultant - Simon Crabtree. Make-Up Designer - Lesley Brennan. Make-Up Assistant - Jayne Greenwood, Lucy Sibbick. Make-Up Trainee - Kate Heaney, Dionne Smith. Sound Recordist - Nick Steer, Gary Desmond. Sound Assistant - Ric Perrin. Boom Op - Ben Brookes. Stunt Co-Ordinator - Ray Nicholas, Jim Ryan, Eunice Huthhart. Stunt Performers - Martin Pemberton, Ian Van Temporly, Paul Howell, Russell Macleod. Drivers - Paul Pearson, Andy Atkinson, John Roy, Archibald Kininmonth. Catering - Film Cuisine, Delux Diners. Camera Equipment & Consumables - Panavision, Manchester; Camera Crewing , Manchester. Tape Stock - That's A Wrap. Lighting Equipment - Lee Lighting, Panalux. Walkies & Internet Piece for Mobile - Audiolink. Cherry Picker - AA Access. Scaffold - Farnworth Scaffold. Scaffold Rigger - Dave Berry. Accommodation - The Station Hotel, Riverhill Hotel, The Village Hotel, BW Bolholt Country Park Hotel, The Liner Hotel, Liverpool, The Old White Lion Hotel, Rostrevor Hotel & Bistro, Britannia Adelphi. Cars - Addhire Self Drive. Taxis - Davy Liver Taxis. Travel - Kennedy Travel, Alan Walton Travel. Credits Source - producer's notes at LFF screening 8 October 08 (imdb page is www.imdb.com/title/tt1137436/).

END

John Park

reviewed Wednesday 8 October 08 / press screening / NFT2, National Film Theatre, London

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