Movie Review - Scum

A film that if you feel you truly are a Brit Flick fan you should certainly see. Ray Winston near the start of a brilliant career, shines as a true star as Carlin. So many actors in this go onto to bigger and better things (everyone keeps saying Danny John Jules AKA The Cat in Red Dwarf is in this movie, i'm yet to see him). Micky Pearce from Only Fools and Horses, The bloke from The Bill. A story told from both sides of Borstal, Cons on the inside and who runs them, and the staff and who they think they are running. People trying to make their name and reputation in an institutionalized place.

Archer trying to screw the staff by making life hard for them at every step. I think my main issue with this film is the greenhouse rape scene. These people hate this lad for being gay so they gang rape him? Doesn't this make them as gay as he is? Carlin seems to get on with the black guy whose wife dies while he is in prison but he still seems to be as racist as everyone else. I also think the ending of this film was changed because it feels wrong, I don't feel they would have just thrown Carlin and his mates into solitary then let them out (how ever long later) to get a stern lecture off the governor. The end of the riot wasn't really addressed or sorted out. This needed to be made definite, and either had Carlin and friends seriously hurt and re-establishing Pongo as The Daddy. I think either Carlin would have been killed or sent somewhere harder or the Borstal would have been fully under the control of Carlin and the staff in fear to return or Carlin having killed a member of staff. This couldn't be re-made today, it's a classic of it's time.

if you like Ray in this he's also in Quadrophenia!