TwentyFourSeven (1997) – Film Review

Director: Shane Meadows
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Danny Nussbaum, Justin Brady
Certificate: 15

By Sarah Morgan

All great film-makers have to start their big screen journey somewhere. With Steven Spielberg, it was the theatrical version of his TV movie Duel; Martin Scorsese made Who’s That Knocking on My Door, and Alfred Hitchcock made his directorial debut with the silent film Number 13, which was never finished and is now lost. These were largely inauspicious beginnings, which were followed by much bigger hits.

Shane Meadows would probably never think of himself in such exalted company, but he’s undoubtedly one of the most gifted writers and directors to have come out of the UK in the past 30 years. These days he’s best known for the This is England movie and its TV spin-off series, which was filmed largely in Sheffield. Before that, he made his debut with the now almost forgotten Small Time, following it with TwentyFourSeven, which really made people sit up and take notice.

“Emotional depth”

I saw it at the cinema back in 1997, and thought it was one of the best films I’d ever seen. Almost 30 years on, I was well overdue a revisit, and I’m pleased to say it’s lost none of its power in the intervening years.

Inspired by characters from Meadow’s own youth in the Midlands, it focuses on the efforts of Alan Darcy, a lonely, good-hearted middle-aged bloke, who wants to keep a group of disenfranchised young men off the streets by giving them a focus – namely a boxing club. They’re largely undisciplined, each dealing with personal issues – from drugs and violence to parental pressure and sexuality struggles – but eventually, they begin to respond.

However, the decision to arrange a match against another club becomes a turning point in the lives of all those involved, including Darcy’s.

Shot in stark black and white, with some beautiful scenes, particularly those depicting a camping trip to Wales, TwentyFourSeven is a stunning piece of work, both visually and in terms of its storyline. It would be a cliche (and a pun) to describe it as ‘hard-hitting’, and it would also be something of a disservice – you do feel as if you’ve been hit between the eyes harder than a punch thrown in anger while watching it, but there is an emotional depth here too that makes the entire production something special.

“Eye for talent”

Casting Bob Hoskins as Darcy was a masterstroke. It’s a lowkey performance, yet you can’t take your eyes off him. We feel we know this man, despite receiving little relatively little information about his background. He’s supported by an eclectic cast, some of whom are now famous faces, including soap stars James Hooton and Bruce Jones, and a very young James Corden, and others who remain out of the spotlight but perhaps should have gone on to bigger things; if there’s one thing we know about Meadows, it’s that he has an eye for talent – he is, after all, the man responsible for kickstarting Vicky McClure’s career.

And look out too for Pamela Cundell, who you may recognise from her semi-regular role as Mrs Fox in Dad’s Army. She plays Darcy’s beloved Aunt Iris here.

In recent years, Meadows has concentrated on TV projects, but is making a comeback on the big screen next year with Chork, co-written by acclaimed screenwriter Jack Thorne. If it’s only half as good as TwentyFourSeven, we’re all in for a treat.

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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