GB
1993
2hrs 11mins
Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: David Thewlis and Lesley Sharp
Stealing a car and fleeing south after committing rape, an unemployed Mancunian expounds his cynical views to those he meets as he seduces his way around London
Mike Leigh’s Cannes-winning film is a masterful, controversial, and totally unforgettable exploration of society in free-fall at the tail end of Thatcher’s Britain. It is seen by many to be the finest drama of the 1990s, but its dark, monochromatic and claustrophobic atmosphere does not make for easy viewing. Nothing railway related features though it does contain a scene that was shot in the derelict Bishopsgate Goods Station, London E1. The film ran with the working title Monkey, but this was changed prior to release.
