I may have grown up a continent away and a decade removed from the events in This Is England, but I know a few things about skin culture. Obviously, so does Shane Meadows. He captures the turmoil of working class 80's Britain and the rivalry between the two Skin factions; Primarily the more militant and zenophobic National Front and what would become the SHARPs (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). The SHARPs were a direct reaction to the ferocious racism and nazi iconography that crept into the scene.
All of this is neatly contained within a poignant and touching coming of age story. A proper follow up to Dead Man's Shoes, This Is England is an illuminating window into a neglected facet of English society. The film is about a fight for the soul of Britain, told through the fight for the soul a young fatherless boy. A grand achievement.