Scum
1979 · Movie · 96 min · ★ 7.1 · 84% critics
A new arrival at Britain’s notorious borstal for young offenders quickly becomes trapped in a brutal hierarchy, where both staff and inmates threaten survival. Caught between intimidation and retaliation, the boys’ daily struggle exposes a nightmare world that offers little room for rehabilitation.
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Details
- Years
- 1979
- Release date
- 1979-09-12
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Critic score
- 84/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (214 votes)
About
You’ll likely like Scum if you want a relentlessly harsh, no-escape drama about survival in a British youth reformatory; Not for you if you can’t handle extreme violence, racism, or sexual abuse, and you may also prefer avoiding similar films like Cool Hand Luke.
Pros: unflinching brutality; gripping intensity; strong performances | Cons: extremely disturbing themes; oppressive atmosphere; harrowing subject matter
Themes
- prison
- suicide
- rape
- corruption
- england
- controversy
- riot
- revenge
- racism
- inmate
- regime
- offender
- +1 more
Cast & crew
Ray Winstone
as Carlin
Mick Ford
as Archer
Julian Firth
as Davis
John Blundell
as Banks
Phil Daniels
as Richards
John Judd
as Mr. Sands
Philip Jackson
as Mr Greaves
Peter Howell
as Governor
Bill Dean
as Mr Duke
John Grillo
as Mr Goodyear
Directed by Alan Clarke