TwentyFourSeven - 1997

From TwentyFourSeven to Somers Town, Shane Meadows is an amazing British talent who has defined his own style and voice such authority he is one of the few working auteurs of British cinema to gain mainstream success. This Is England is widely regarded as his finest work, Somers Town started as a film funded by St Pancreas to promote the Euro tunnel, and Dead Man's Curve is perhaps his most daring and controversial film. Yet for me it's still his debut, TwentyFourSeven which is his most enjoyable and engaging film. Bob Hoskins plays Alan Darcy, a man motivated by seeing the youth of his community become embroiled in gangs. To help reduce crime and give them some focus in life, he sets up the 101 Boxing club, a place which helped him when he was young.

Meadows spends time depicting the teenagers of the community, and shot in black and white, the film contrasts their growing hopes and desires against their difficult home lives. The cast are admirable in the conviction and there isn't a single bad performance amongst them. As their friendship grows so to does your love of each of them and their enthusiasm and support of Darcy and the boxing ring becomes infectious.

Meadows cultivates believable characters is real situations facing, sometimes serious and dangerous life situations, but together, with each other for support they are able to pull themselves through. As the film draws to its conclusion; a boxing fight against another boxing club, the film delivers a knockout punch completely unexpected, but in hindsight somehow inevtiable.

With stark, but beautiful black and white photography shot by Ashley Rowe, and co written by Paul Fraser, a word should also be made about the sublime, evocative music by Boo Hewerdine and Neil MacColl, Twenty Four Seven for me is the most intimate, personal and heartwarming (as well as wrenching) film Shane Meadows has yet directed.