It's actually the first Shane Meadows film that I've seen *blush*. I thought I'd seen Once Upon A Time In The Midlands but after reading the synopsis, it appears I haven't seen it at all. Or, if I have, nothing in it sounds familiar... err..

Anyway, TIE was actually rather bloody good indeed. Sort of comparable to American History X in that it deals with a young 'en finding friendship and acceptance among people who are quite clearly a negative influence on him; looking at race and subculture etc.

I think I probably prefer this to AHX however, although both are great films. It's just that the weight of the film pulls you down as you watch it. The characters feel so scarily real and authentic that you get dragged into their lives, which is probably due to a mixture of excellent writing/direction and performances. Stephen Graham, in particular, is phenomenal. Thomas Turgoose as the 12 year old Shaun is pretty good too (most disturbing scene? His snog.) You can almost step back and observe AHX as the story unfolds, where as this sucks you right into their lives.