Small Faces Movie Review 1995

Semi-autobiographical account of three brothers growing up in a working class, gang-ridden section of Glasgow in 1968. Scottish lad Lex MacLean (Robertson) is at the crucial age of 13 and caught between two completely opposite brothers and two warring gangs. Sensitive brother Alan (McFadden) has the stigma of being an artist in a conscientiously macho society, while older brother Bobby (Duffy) has no such problem, being a gang member and all-around punk. When Lex unfortunately injures the eye of gang leader Malky (McKidd) with an air-gun, he unknowingly sets in motion a dangerous chain of events, forcing him to ally with both brothers. Writer/director MacKinnon makes sure even the most tense situations are offset with dark humor, and stages the violent scenes beautifully. Garnering comparisons with other Scottish youth fables like "Trainspotting," film follows somewhat the same storytelling formula, but is much more low-key. Character and plot are given equal attention and film greatly benefits from an outstanding performance by Robertson. CNT Violence and language.

Distribution

Evergreen Entertainment, 6100 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90048, Phone: (213)634-3000, Fax: (213)549-3760

Available on VHS
Running time 108 minutes.
Originally from British.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Glasgow, Gangs, Coming of Age, Teen Angst, Hard Knock Life, Wrong Side of the Tracks, Coming of Age

Screenplay

Gilles Mackinnon, Billy Mackinnon

Cast

Iain Robertson, Clare Higgins, Ian McElhinney, Kevin McKidd, Joseph McFadden, J.S. Duffy, Laura Fraser, Garry Sweeney, Mark McConnochie, Steven Singleton, David Walker

Cinematography

John de Borman

Director

Gilles Mackinnon

Music

John Keane

Producer

BBC Films