John McGill: Conor McCarron
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LOVEFiLM Review
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By Jennifer Trevorrow from LOVEFiLMNEDs, aka Non-Educated Delinquents, is a bold take on teenage gang warfare in 1970s Glasgow.
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Most helpful review
Don't watch it in your own shoes...
By BrownEye (1 review) , 03 Jun 2011[Highly rated reviewer]
I'd recommend you watch this film...NOW!
A story about a boy (John McGill) who can't seem to escape from the violence around him whether at home, school or on the streets. Even though he has so much more to offer, his older brother's reputation shapes how his younger life is going to be.
Although he initially tries to stay on the right path and use the intelligence he was born with, it's only a matter of time before the bad elements begin to affect him...not helped by the rejection from his best friend because his mother doesn't approve of her son being friends with a Non Educated Delinquent. Then the violence ensues, although I admit that I did find myself empathizing with him throughout the entire film.
If you're looking for a film with mindless violence then you'll love it. But, there is so much more to this film than that. Try watching this film with empathy for the main character and you'll see the story of a boy just trying to fit in with and survive his surroundings...then the violence isn't quite so 'mindless', just the mindless viewer that doesn't 'get it'!
I found this an incredibly deep film which leaves you to draw your own conclusions as to what happens once the credits roll, you only hope that John took the right path. It's been a while since I watched a British Film that I enjoyed so much. I would have given 5 stars but I found that trying to follow the heavy Scottish Accents seemed to leave me a few sentences behind in places!!!- Was this review helpful to you?
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(161)Bewildering nonsense.
By a customer , 28 Jan 2013I should start by saying, I am an absolutely massive fan of Peter Mullan. I've seen every film he's made / been in, and have wanted to see NEDS for a good while, especially after seeing such great reviews everywhere. But, I just simply cannot understand what all the fuss is about. There are a great many things wrong with this film, but the main one is the utter lack of empathy attracted by the central character. He is a smug, self-centred thug. Starting off as a demanding brattish school swot, then quite out of the blue becoming a knife-weilding lunatic with little explanation as to how he arrived there (his brother is a bit of a gangster, but like many other characters is woefully underdeveloped). Mullan's father character is just bizarre... what is he? Is he violent? Is he a drunk? Is he just a bit weird? There is no insight whatsoever into what has made him the way he is or what exactly is wrong with him. He shouts a lot. And looks quite depressed. That is all we know. What he does at the end (I won't spoil it) is completely bewildering. And the reaction of his (by then, thug again) son even more baffling. Very disappointed. I expected a lot more from Mullan. What with the strange, totally random and confusing fantasy scenes thrown in too, the whole thing was an awful, unlikeable mess that is trying far too hard to be a lot cleverer than it is. I genuinely don't understand all the 5-star reviews.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Reminded and haunted me.....
By JulieRNorthumberland (35 reviews) , 11 Jan 2013I enjoyed parts of this film but as other reviewers have already said there were parts that got on my nerves. Overall the film captured the trap faced by too many young men who try to achieve but find that they are shackled to their 'heritage'. The hopelessness of fighting against and then realising that what restricts them is also a source of constancy and an anchor in the rocky sea of life, the swaddling, suckling comfort of familiarity and acceptance is almost claustrophobic .- Was this review helpful to you?
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great film
By a customer , 03 Jan 2013Bleak but a very good film. I didn't grow up in Glasgow in the early 70s so cant authenticate the depictions but I do recognize the main thrust of the story I think it is so much more about education and class than anything else well worth the slow pace and painful repetition of violence and despair as it concludes with a point that only someone familiar with the predicaments of the setting could communicate best film yet- Was this review helpful to you?
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A desperately bad Punch and Judy
By Tubematic (12 reviews) , 30 Dec 2012Peter Mullan goes down the well-trodden track signposted 'isn't Scotland grim?' (see also Ratcatcher, Sweet Sixteen, Red Road). Not a new subject then, and one only done with any pathos and coherence in Red Road. There is something bleakly ironic about the fact that cash raised by Lottery ticket sales (i. e. working class pound coins) is being used to pay for the UK Film Council (a cozy quango) which in turn doles out cash to middle class film makers to make films that demonise the working class! Anyway, NEDS: it lost it for me when the lead character transformed from a conscientious little grafter to a thuggish Travis Bickle-like sociopath seemingly overnight; a transformation as realistic as the comedy sketch where Harry Enfield's 'Little Brother Kevin' transforms into the sullen 'Kevin the Teenager'. From this point onwards it's impossible to feel any empathy for the lead character, even more so when he repeats the same transformation trick later on in the film. Otherwise the acting is generally OK with the glaring exception of Director Mullan as the father. He is so hammy and is seemingly relishing the role of baddy so badly that it's comical. He's like a luvvie having the self-indulgent time of his life. The aforementioned Harry Enfield would have been just as unconvincing in this role. What more to say? Grim? Yes. Violent? Yes. Well developed, believable characters? No. Would I recommend this or ever watch it again? No. If you want a film about Glasgow, watch Red Road.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Great movie of real 70's life in Glasgow, fantastic acting
By IM69 (151 reviews) from stonehaven , 05 Dec 2012NEDS, shows the fast degredation of scottish schoolboys into a thuggery or normal scottish life at those times, It shows life as we used to remember, running across bridges and parks for gang fight, as well as carted away in black mairi's. And pure scottish dialect and sayings that are still rich to this day Film was co-directed by Peter Mullen who also starred in spielbergs Warhouse (never fancied it) This is a film worth watching for those before my generation even though its set in the 70's Glasgow era. RIP Peter Mullen, you did yourself and Scotland proud. I did not realise what a great director and strong actor (and those with you) you managed. A great loss.- Was this review helpful to you?
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