Rent Scum (1979)

Daddy Issues - Scum review by Steve

Alan Clarke won a reputation as a director of violent, uncompromising television dramas. After his Play for Today original was shelved by the BBC, he and writer Roy Minton created an even more extreme version for cinemas. It is a sensational exposure of the British borstal system. These prisons for boys were actually shut down between the two editions.

A couple of tough offenders fight for the supremacy of their corner of the organisation; to be the 'daddy'. Ray Winstone is formidable as the new kid who takes over the block and there's a strong support cast of UK stalwarts. Mick Ford also makes a deep impression in a difficult role as a more thoughtful iconoclast who articulates most of the editorial content.

The borstal socialises the kids to conform with the prevailing culture; but the values they assimilate, are utterly insane. No one survives. The institution and the sentences are incidental to the true savagery of the experience; the prisoners brutalise each other. The rape and subsequent suicide of one of the more vulnerable boys is incredibly harrowing.

Though the reality was quite probably worse, certainly in regards to sexual abuse. The low budget actually enhances the feel of chilly brutality; all is grim, and hostile, and malign. And yet the episodic story is absolutely spellbinding, even before the shocking climax. This landmark cult classic is the best prison drama ever made in the UK... Maybe any country.

Young winston - Scum review by PT

This is the film that guaranteed Ray Winston the stardom he now has. Winston plays young offender Carling who wants to do his bird keeping his head down. The Daddy of the joint will not let Carling do his time hassle free though, which prompts Carling to take another path to survive the violent regime.

A harrowing portrayal of borstal life and a great performance from the young Winston. If you've been living on Mars, or you're too young to have seen it when it was first released, I would definitely recommend it.

VHS Myth, Institutional Truth - Scum review by griggs

Scum is one of those films I’d been putting off for years. At school, it was passed around on battered VHS tapes alongside porn and video nasties—spoken of in hushed tones as if it were contraband. Watching it now, I found it far less disturbing than expected—at least until the harrowing final 15 minutes. That said, it’s still a grim, unsparing depiction of life in borstal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s closer to reality than many would like to admit. It was this film, in fact, that helped accelerate public pressure to dismantle the borstal system altogether.

Alan Clarke’s direction is stark and unflinching, favouring long takes, and a documentary feel that heightens the sense of institutional rot. It’s easy to see why the BBC, who originally commissioned it, baulked—rejecting the television version, which led to Clarke remaking it as a feature film. Sadomasochistic staff, inmates used as cheap labour, and no hint of rehabilitation—just violence, degradation and survival. It’s challenging, raw, and well worth the wait.