Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Truly Dreadful Film

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

After spending much of the 1990's making a name for himself as an intense character actor in the likes of Trainspotting and My Name Is Joe, Peter Mullan announced himself as a director to watch with 1998's Cousins. He followed that four years later with the powerful The Magdalene Sisters, but didn't make another film until eight years later with his most personal project to date, Neds. His tough upbringing in a rough area of Glasgow meant that his talents in front of the camera would normally be employed in tough, intimidating roles, and Mullan drew upon his experiences as a young man for Neds, a social realist drama depicting an academically promising young boy's descent into gang culture and into the footsteps of his notorious older brother.'Neds' stands for Non-Educated Delinquents, a term I heard often during my time living in Edinburgh, and one applied to the sort of tracksuit-wearing hooligans also labelled as 'scallies' or 'chavs', depending on which area of the UK you're from. The 'ned' here is John McGill, played by Greg Forrest as a youngster growing up in 70's Glasgow who hopes to use his intelligence to make something of himself, but finds himself pulled onto the streets due to a number of factors: from his disinterested, cane-happy teachers to the pressure of living up to his brother's reputation. He grows taller and broader (to be played by Conor McCarron) and quickly makes a name for himself, participating in petty crime and street fights, and rebelling against his school education. His home isn't a happy one, and the family live under the tyrannical rule of John's father (played by Mullan). Mr. McGill isn't much to look at, but he has a presence terrifying enough to silence a room when he enters, and a tendency to come home drunk and bawl abuse at his long-suffering wife.Mullan has a real talent for staging tense situations, with some of the events played out in Neds no doubt taken directly from real experiences. A booze-fuelled neighbourhood party quickly deteriorates into smashed windows and a mass brawl, with the thugs brandishing the ugliest of weapons designed to cause maximum harm. There's heart and humour too, and Mullan manages to keep John sympathetic throughout, despite his questionable behaviour. Despite his concentration, Mullan drags the film out longer than is needed, and a number of the climactic scenes are suited to be the film's final moment. A swerve into drug-fuelled surrealist territory is well-intended but doesn't really work when wedged into the film's ultra-realist aesthetic, and the scene feels out-of-place and unintentionally amusing. Still, this is raw, unflinching film-making from a director clearly hoping to draw attention to the plight of youngsters growing up in such grim working-class surroundings, where respect is earned through brutality and allegiances are decided by which side of the bridge you live on.

I have very mixed feelings about this film. Admittedly I was expecting a lot as it's a Peter Mullen film and he deals very well with the dirtier side of British social history. A majority of his work is heavy going and usually leaves me with lots to think about, having first had a good cry! This certainly is not for the faint hearted.The violence I found incredibly difficult to watch. I am sure that is a nod to its realism but it wasn't easy viewing by any means. It wasn't gratuitous but as advertised, it was brutal. I didn't feel resolve or any sense of justice or come away feeling like things have much improved or changed over time. It has been compared a lot to 'The is England' but in truth it doesn't have a patch on it. The characters just aren't as well developed and I didn't particularly like or feel compassion to many of them, apart from the fact that this is the sad reality for many children, even now. I also can't recall many moments of light relief in this, which This is England managed frequently with its emphasis on comradery and friendship. I feel ultimately it is an unfair comparison though so don't watch it on that basis.You can make all sorts of excuses or explanations as to why disillusioned young men become gang members or vandals/ criminals but in this case I didn't feel as though the main character made this transition in a subtle or realistic fashion. It was closer to a personality transplant than the slowly trodden down morale of gentile lad with a potentially bright future. Okay so it makes the valid point that we as a society have to nurture our young, protect them, educate them, communicate with them, lead by example, give them the opportunities that they need to grow. But I felt like this was more about poor management of a possible mental health issue rather than just the story of an average boy with a troubled background. (I know the two often go hand in hand) I just didn't feel like the character development justified the direction that the plot went in.So plot was so-so, performance wise it was pretty solid, particularly for young, amateur, Scottish kids. The camera work was pretty good and the retro 70's feel was definitely apparent. I can't pin point the moment at which it started to lag but it did, it lost my attention and I lost hope of it ever reaching a conclusion that would satisfy and I was right. Ultimately I found myself wanting to enjoy the film more than I actually did.Sidenote: I grew up in Scotland, not too far from Glasgow and for a long time 'Neds' didn't necessarily know they were 'Neds'. Ned was always an insult, it is a a discriminatory, class issue and although they may now have embraced the word, reclaimed it, like the use of the 'N' word amongst the Black community, it certainly was not something that people used to refer to themselves as, or be proud of. I was interested to see the character in this refer to himself as a Ned. I know that the word itself goes way back and I am sure it is accurate in the film makers experience, but interesting how that differs from people who live just a few miles away (admittedly that was 80s/90s/early 2000s) I also appreciate that Glasgow gang culture has a long and complex history where as I lived in a more rural area where groups were mainly interchangeable (apart from the great Neds Vs Goths War of '97!)

Neds tells the story of John, a Catholic teenager growing up in 1970s Glasgow. The story line follows John's involvement with his city's Ned culture and the consequences of it on his teenage years. The movie won Best Film at the San Sebastian Film Festival in January 2011.Good points: The characters were well portrayed and gave a good performance, making it realistic and a good representation of how life would have been like as a young Scottish boy. Also, the music that is played in the movie is well suited to it and is the correct year when released.Bad points: The accents were very strong, at some points I couldn't understand what they were saying. The ending, might have had a good meaning to it, but was a disappointment as I was expecting something that was exciting. Also the film is over two hours long, which was too long.Overall: I would give the film 6.5/10, because the acting was good, along with the representation of teenagers in1970's Scotland, but the film was very long and the overall story line could have been better scripted.

There was positive discussion of this British film on Film 2010 with Claudia Winkleman, and it looked like a good mix of This Is England and something like (a more understandable) Sweet Sixteen, so of course I wanted to see it, from director Peter Mullan. Basically, set in 1970's Glasgow, Neds (Non-Educated Delinquents) are roaming the streets, and school boy, ten year old John McGill (Greg Forrest) has been surrounded by it for some time, but ignores it to do well in his studies. After a very good academic career, fourteen year old John McGill (Conor McCarron) is ready to start secondary school, but with a dysfunctional family consisting of a drunken and violent father (Peter Mullan), troubled mother Theresa (Louise Goodall) and brother Benny (Joe Szula) constantly getting into trouble with the police, dark clouds appear in his personality. He makes friends with Julian (Martin Bell) and hanging out with the wrong crowd, John transcends into the Neds territory as he talks back to teachers and isn't bothered about punishment, and of course going against other young street thugs. Also starring John Joe Hay as Fergie, Gary Lewis as Mr. Russell, Mhairi Anderson as Elizabeth, Richard Mack as Gerr, Gary Milligan as Canta, Christopher Wallace as Wee T, Marianna Palka as Aunt Beth, Steven Robertson as Mr. Bonetti, David McKay as Mr. Holmes and Linda Cuthbert as Mrs. Matherson. I agree with the critics that it loses some grip towards the end, but all the actors, most of which are newcomers, especially McCarron and his younger self Forrest are fantastic, the realism in parts with the violence and school punishment makes for good viewing, an interesting coming-of-age drama. Worth watching!