Bloody Kids

Although an interesting snapshot of 2 days in the life of a couple of Southend scallywags, it's hard to find any message in all this pointless rebellion. Is that all the 70s were about, even in Southend?

What does make this movie worth 90 minutes of your life is the glimpse of the past it offers. To most viewers, I suspect, there are a surprising number of familiar faces in the cast, some from very early in their careers.

On a detached level, it offers an enjoyable tour of Southend as it was a quarter of a century ago. Aside from the retail ownerships, it looks to have changed little.

I do remember walking down to "old Leigh" (Leigh-on-sea)one night in early March watching them film a scene for this movie at the underpass by the cockle sheds. In addition while in the 'Peterboat ' pub I saw Richard Beckinsale sampling some of the local brew and was struck how overweight he looked despite the fact he was well over six feet (he looked in good shape in Rising Damp and Porridge). Then about five days later I heard the shock news that he had died from a heart attack while only 32

Watching it today, although nostalgic, it does seem very dated. A lot has changed in Southend since then, some things are the same or very similar but it is a different generation, time has passed and it does not seem relevant today. Good scenes of the town back in 1979 and it also reflects the very poor spirit for young people back at that time, things did seem hopeless for many.(Note: In 1979, --- 33,000 were packed into ROOTS HALL to watch a goal less draw in the FA cup between Euro Champs Liverpool and fourth division Southend united!).

Seeing as I come from where the film is set, Southend-On-Sea, its like a visual history of my formative years. First saw the film on BFBS in Germany and was quite amazed to see Peter Clark who I knew when we were younger.

If you read this Peter, remember Seasons In The Sun?

But to the film... thoroughly enjoyed it and bought it on VHS as soon as i could. And its interesting to note that of all the people in the film they near enough went onto much greater things, and some to die tragically young.

But its enough everytime I see it to fall back to those far gone days and relive all the sites and sounds of Southend as it was once.

And Gary Holton fulfilled one of my fantasys by driving around the top of end of Southend and Victoria Circus, and sticking his car through a shop window. WOW!!!

this film impressed me greatly, bleak but powerful especially in it's ending and Poliakoff's early, terse screenplay is excellent. Although made in the late 70's the film has aged remarkably well and still feels relevant. I recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting and intelligent look at British youth culture.

Poliakoff (writer) and Frears (director) both have a fascination for the darker corners of urban life that most of us never see. Bloody Kids is early work for both of these great masters and has the rough edges one might expect from youthful experimentation. But this piece demonstrates the pace, momentum and lyrical qualities that Poliakoff can create and amazing visual imagery by Frears. Some of the work is reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange, but this piece has a quite unique presence of its own which I found both haunting and gripping.

Not the greatest work by either Stephen, but early signs of greatness and certainly worth a look.