A film I've watched hundreds of times. Finney is Arthur Seaton, a rogue working at the Raleigh bicycle factory in Nottingham. He made his career off the back of this film, and quite right too. The direction is superb, the soundtrack wonderful, the cast (mostly) excellent. This is Nottingham in the sixties as my Dad describes it: hard work to earn weekends at play, but with occasional consequences. One of the best British kitchen sink movies ever made. I absolutely love it.

Albert Finney at his best.
Wonderful 'film of the times' piece. It has nostalgia, grit and great staging. Prince wrote a song called 'time of the signs' to define a time and place, Stilitoe wrote a screenplay of equal magic.

Quite possibly the best film produced during Britains New Wave of cinema. Which I guess makes this one of the best movies of all time.

Reisz's vision owes a lot to Truffaut I feel, but then most of the greats of the period and pretty much since are directly influenced by him. Of course he had the superb source material created by Alan Sillitoe to work with; he turned a fantastic novel of postwar Britain in to a complex and interesting screenplay. And then of course there's Albert Finney to come along and put in the performance of a lifetime.

Working on the machines all week makes him thirsty. Going to the pictures makes him thirsty. He doesn't bother drinking much but he likes a drop before he goes fishing. "Another pint please Charlie!"

He likes a bit of the rum stuff too, wearing a 'bull dog chewing a wasp' face and generally being a naughty boy.

Great performance from Albert Finney and enjoyable dialogue.

Viewed on DVD

This film falls under the category of the "kitchen sink dramas" or "angry young men" movies England was making in the late 50s & early 60's. It's a wonderful "slice of life" film that shows how tedious & mundane life can be when your stuck in a small town, so you try and find the simple pleasures in life. Be it women, the drink or hooliganism.

One of Morrissey's favourite films.
"I can't describe the poetry the film has for me"- Morrissey

Finney is magnetic in this film. I loved it-the feel,the look,story and performances. Really captures England at a time of huge industrial and social change.

Ricky Gervais was obviously inspired by this for his awful-Cemetery Junction

Almost a documentary. The hardscrabble life of a blue collar working away for a few hours of real life.

Quite possibly the best film produced during Britains New Wave of cinema. Which I guess makes this one of the best movies of all time.

Reisz's vision owes a lot to Truffaut I feel, but then most of the greats of the period and pretty much since are directly influenced by him. Of course he had the superb source material created by Alan Sillitoe to work with; he turned a fantastic novel of postwar Britain in to a complex and interesting screenplay. And then of course there's Albert Finney to come along and put in the performance of a lifetime.

"Albert Finney played a young man with a complicated love life - one of his girlfriends is married, and pregnant with his child. Lovely film which was groundbreaking in its uncondescending depiction of the English working class."

Surprising great film that I'd unfortunately never heard of until last week. The direction is interesting and revolutionary, in fact. The beginning of kitchen sink realism with Albert Finney playing the legendary cocky cock perfectly. I would love to see more of his films, here's to hoping they are as great as this.

Film about a working class man who bangs chicks and gets his ass kicked and drinks too much. The film's structures follows the work week of a wage-labourer in Britain. Exploitation for five days of the week then the weekend comes and the labourer reproduces his labour-power with drinking and women. I liked it for the most part and the story is fun but serious as well. Classic from the British New Wave.

Classic gritty northern British drama with Albert Finney as the amoral, irresponsible Jack the Lad character.