Riff-Raff (1991)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Bill Jesse (writer)

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

The story of Stevie, a construction worker, and his girlfriend, an unemployed pop singer, serves to...

Plot Keywords:

Actual Animal Killed | Political | Building Laborer | Independent Film

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Robert Carlyle	...	Steve
Emer McCourt	...	Susan
Richard Belgrave	...	Kojo
Jim R. Coleman	...	Shem
David Finch	...	Kevin
Garrie J. Lammin	...	Mick
Dean Perry	...	Wilf
George Moss	...	Mo
Willie Ross	...	Gus Siddon
Ade Sapara	...	Fiaman
Ricky Tomlinson	...	Larry
Derek Young	...	Desmonde
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Alder	...	Director
Dominic Barlow	...	Pianist
Jimmy Batten	...	Man buying Kango
Terry Bird	...	Van driver
Tracy Brabin	...	Singer
Maureen Carr	...	Ellen
Lila Cherif	...	Client
Martin Clapson	...	Pub Band
Tex Comer	...	Pub Band
Brian Coyle	...	Youth
Les Davidson	...	Pub Band
Terry Duggan	...	Boss in office
Zohra El Harrack	...	Client
Joumana Gil	...	Client
Debra Gillett	...	Singer
Mike Haydon	...	Security Guard
Jimmy Jewel	...	Pub Band
John Kazek	...	Robert
Luke Kelly	...	Ken Jones
Benjamin Lush	...	Singer
James MacDonald	...	Funeral Director
Jayne Charlton McKensie	...	Singer (as Jayne MacKenzie)
Bill Moores	...	Smurph
Angela Morant	...	Estate Agent
Peter Mullan	...	Jake
Johanne Murdock	...	Singer
Vicky Murdock	...	Medical Secretary
Dylan O'Mahony	...	Youth
Stuart Peveril	...	Youth
Len Stonebridge	...	Pub Band
David Taegar	...	Producer
Anne Marie Timoney	...	Fiona

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:Open (rating surrendered: 1992) | USA:R (original rating: 1992)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Quotes:

Steve: I'm into merchandising myself.
Susan: Really.
Steve: Aye, boxer shorts, colored socks, things like that... that's where I'm heading.

Soundtrack:

With A Little Help From My Friends

A Truly Remarkable Film, ver close to home (literaly!)

I first saw this film, drunk one Friday after a heavy nights drinking after work on a building site. I was then a bricklayer - a job I had done for over five years. Watching this film, it dawned on me that this was filmed in the part of London where i lived. I could truly relate to it and I would have sworn that the actors had themselves spent their lives working on sites it was so realistic. Go to any site and you will see at least one character who you could say directly related to a charater in this film. The safety aspect has been cleaned up a lot now but back then, sites were a dangerous place to work. Accidents were common and the end scenes were not in any way unrealistic.

The thing that did it for me was the portrayal of the working class of Britain. The sentiments were all there, the humour, the desparation, the sense of wanting to rise above the rest and the shattered dreams. They are all here. I would say that if anyone from abroad wanted to study the character of the British working class then they MUST see this film. It is tough, gritty and full of humour...a truly remarkable piece of film that is sadly neglected.

Buy it, Rent it, Steal it, Borrow it...whatever you do SEE IT!