“A
knockout delivery arrives on Blu-ray
and DVD with the brutal and thought-
provoking film Clubbed, based on the
international best-selling autobiography
of BAFTA award-winning writer Geoff
Thompson, that explores the violent
world of 80s clubland...”
PRIMARILY ABOUT FACING FEAR in a threatening and violent world, Clubbed
is an unusual film to be given the MotorBar seal of approval. Known for its
dark, brutal subject and bad language, we would have normally given it a miss
— but it is something of a learning curve and, although shocking,
the brutality is necessary and not over-exploited.
Lonely and reserved factory worker Danny (Mel Raido: The Informers; He Kills
Coppers) is separated from his wife Angela (Maxine Peake: Little Dorrit;
The Devil's Whore) but loves his children Kay (Katherine McGolpin) and Illisa
(Charlie Clark) and lives for the weekend when he can be a father to them.
While out with his daughters and trying to protect them, Danny provokes the
wrath of a local thug who beats him senseless in front of the children. Humiliated,
intimidated by life and on the verge of a breakdown, Danny is consumed by fear.
He is afraid of confrontation, afraid of speaking out and terrified of being
a nobody in a tough environment. He sinks even lower into the abyss of his already
bleak existence. It is time for him to fight back.
Meeting nightclub doormen Louis (Colin Salmon: The Bank Job; Dr Who),
Rob Smith (Shaun Parkes: Moses Jones; Harley Street) and Sparky (Scot
Williamson: The Crew; Cape Wrath) changes his life forever and gives
him the confidence to stand up for himself.
Louis is protective towards Danny and Rob (who lives with his mother —
played by the lovely Ellen Thomas) who also befriends Danny. But Sparky is a
law unto himself and will do anything for a fast buck and has a pregnant and
increasingly depressed wife, Helen (superbly played by Aicha McKenzie) to support.
Danny clearly has anger issues — not helped by his wife's fear of Danny
not being responsible enough to protect their girls and threatening to stop
him seeing them when he goes to the gym while they are at their dance class.
Danny begins to learn how to fight and becomes more and more involved with his
three new friends. Discovering that Sparky is taking money for allowing drug
dealers into the club, Danny tells Louis and this causes a rift between them.
Rob begins setting himself up for a fall when he throws the dealers out and
takes their money. As Danny becomes drawn deeper into their world and takes
matters into his own hands, the four fall foul of gangland boss Billy Hennessy
(Ronnie Fox), thus setting in motion a train of events with fatal consequences.
In his desperation to understand and conquer his fear, Danny stands up to the
subsequent threats in the name of loyalty and friendship and risks everything
to mete out justice.
With an all-star British cast, Clubbed is an initially-empowering but
devastatingly emotional and savage journey into the world of 1980s clubland.
Highlighting unbridled anger, thuggish behaviour and injustice, Clubbed
is compelling, thought-provoking, well-paced and tense. It takes its place as
an exposé of the state of certain areas of Britain nearly thirty years ago.
But be warned: there is constant bad language and a number of shockingly violent
scenes that you can see coming.
Clubbed also features: Simon Paul Sutton as Fidget; Ian Ralph as Barny
(Fatman); Dominic Coleman as Clinger; Daniel Green as Five One; Nick Holder
as Mick; Neil Morrissey as Simon; Elizabeth Lowe as the older Kay; Naomi Millbank-Smith
as the older Illisa and not forgetting the gorgeous Samson as Cody the Dog!
The Director of Photography is Kate Stark; Choreography is by Aicha McKenzie;
Executive Producers are Jonathan Wills; Lee Thomas, Paul Abbott, Michael C Wright,
John Harrison, Mike Harrison, and Andy Riley; Produced by Martin Carr and Neil
Thompson; Written by Geoff Thompson; Directed by Neil Thompson.
• Billed as 'A journey through family and
fear set in the violent world of 80s clubland', Clubbed will be released
on Blu-ray and DVD on 4 May (2009), courtesy of Route One Releasing. Running
Time: 95 minutes | Certificate: 18 | DVD Price: £15.99 | Blu-ray Price: £24.99.
Special Features
Behind The Doors — The Making of Clubbed | Deleted Scenes | Commentary:
by director Neil Thompson and writer Geoff Thompson | Trailer | TV Spots.
"Highlighting unbridled anger, thuggish behaviour and injustice, Clubbed
is compelling, thought-provoking, well-paced and tense" — Maggie Woods,
MotorBar
"A fight club machismo fest and a perfect gangster flick à la Goodfellas"
— Variety
"New British film making has never looked so good" — The Sunday Times
"Perfectly polished gem of a film with a killer right hook" — The People
“A
knockout delivery arrives on Blu-ray