Except from a sluggish middle, this is a great testament to British cinema. I have rarely felt so much for the "broken hero" trope - but here it really resonates. A bleak ode to northern England and to revenge movies. This surprisingly moving revenge movie has to be seen.

Such a perfectly simple, well-made revenge story. Atmosphere, location, acting, the characters. Whole thing just immerses you in the lives of both sides, drops you right into the story, and doesn't skip a beat.

Was always hesitant to watch because it’s the kind of film that gets shared around by a certain type of guy with – how to put this – ‘LadBible’ energy, which is rarely a good sign. But in this case it is, annoyingly (although, what a lot of people don’t want to admit is that they like that it’s really short). I love how small it feels and you can sense that Shane Meadows basically willed it into existence using just a handful of actors, yet it’s more viscerally upsetting and more emotionally true than anything made with a fifty times bigger budget that year. The gang are perfectly cast in a way where you almost can’t tell if they’re acting or not: they seem like real pathetic small-town men rather than movie villains, and that’s what makes it so uncomfortable. And Paddy Considine delivered something that I don’t think any other British actor of his generation could’ve done – that particular combination of tenderness and absolute terrifying violence. ‘Mooching about’

Top Beitish revenge film with superb acting!

I gotta be honest, I was expecting a different kind of ending but the acting was excellent!