25 Best British Films Of The Last Decade

12. This Is England

If Shane Meadows well and truly arrived with his shocking thriller Dead Man's Shoes, his undisputed masterpiece to date has to be his follow-up, This Is England, an examination of skinhead culture in 1980s Northern England. Much like Meadows' previous film, this is serious, unrelenting filmmaking, with a grim, unflinching core, albeit with the added allure of being set in a very distinct time and place. The real major find here, though, is young actor Thomas Turgoose who plays protagonist Shaun. A non-actor with a very real past rooted in trouble, he effortlessly transitioned into the role of this unfortunate character, and gave one of the best performances of 2006. Though smartly peppered with humour, the film isn't always pleasant, but never feels melodramatic or inauthentic to that end. It's as though Meadows has taken a snapshot of the era, and ultimately led to Meadows creating two spin-off TV series set in the subsequent years, with a third on the way soon.