The Fence

Absolutely loved this. The short film was great too, I enjoyed the extra plot they added after the main event. Even though it was a relatively short film, it felt longer and it was choc full of great scenes, camera work and acting. I was on the edge of my seat for most of this film, got excited over a lot of the music that was in it. I really wish this had more popularity because it's superb and it absolutely nailed its setting and how the characters would have behaved from that era. The humour in this is perfect and it feels like there's a perfect balance between the main event and all of the cheeky side bits. I hope for more movies like this.

'The Fence' is a gangsterish drama with a comic touch set in 1980s Bristol, which is the city in western England where they pulled that slaver's statue down a while back. Two brothers; one is on a suspended sentence for assault (again), which means he'll go back inside if he gets done, the other is trying to to get by as a butcher's boy, but Bristol lowlife keeps dragging him down. It's nice and brisk, and the cast are having fun, and the music shows exactly why nobody remembers 80's music any more, and i thought it was building up to something. Billy Wilder said, 'if there's a problem in the third act, the problem is in the first act'. The problem here is that the older brother becomes the main character, his story becomes more important, especially as we've been hearing about him long before he appears. The local gangster Mr. Big (Gibbs, geddit) expects a favour from him, and oh well, never mind. Meanwhile the two smalltime villains are about as convincing as vegetarian bacon. The ending will make you think, 'Oh, right, I see'. Or 'Oy see', if you're pretending to be from Brizzle. It's not awful, just OK.

Had a bit of "troubles" with you lot in the 80's, last couple of hundred years tbh! But yer fundamentally a nice lot, similar culture and that. How ye gettin' on now? Asking for a friend... ah two-tier Kier he goes by. Oh, apologies, I need more characters, Nigel Farange, Tommy Robinson, Yvette Cooper (Cooper means she came from a long and noble line of barrel smiths but she's too good for that now) Once there was alcohol in them there hills, now there's gonna be credit scores. Oh well, bad times create... and all that. Wonder what the youth of England are going to create, or the cousins in Scotland.

"Steven" (David Perkins) tries to help his mum get by, by working for a local butcher and then flogging a few illicitly caught trout to a local restaurant now and again. The dad (Neil Berrett) is pretty much a waste of space and his brother "Andrew" (Eugene Simon) is only just out on parole - adding to the headaches of their mother "Sharon" (a few, brief, appearances from Sally Phillips). "Steven" is quite a decent cove as it happens, and has saved up for his dream motorbike - well, it's more of a glorified moped, really. Anyway, he buys it, takes it for a hurl, leaves it outside his house and it's pinched. The police don't care, so he and his brother decide to track it down - easily done as it happens - and that puts in train a series of rather predictable, sometimes comically violent, daft escapades as the brothers tackle the local bullies, the local kingpin and make it clear that their family is not one to be messed with. It helps that it is set in Bristol - a more genteel environment for the cast on screen here. This would not have worked in a gritty, more working class city, but here you can overlook the "posh-boy" elements of the casting and just enjoy what is a quite well written and decently directed low-budget feature. The ending is a wee bit farcical, but there's familial chemistry to be seen here and the acting, though not likely to garner a BAFTA, makes for an engaging look at a family looking out for each other. No, you won't remember it afterwards - but it is worth a watch and you're bound to recall some of the music if you were around in the eighties.

An entertaining little film about the highs and lows (mainly lows) of council estate life in the 80's. Lots of low level, petty dealings going on and some serious violence including the death of a friend from drug use, and when a motorbike goes missing things get more serious. Great 80's vibe and soundtrack and there are some really smart 70's cars on show, including the Ford Escort 2 litre and - right at the end of the film - Gibsy's beautiful green Triumph. Some good lines too, including 'brown bread? I didn't know you were GAY!' Some of the dialogue is difficult to follow due to the actors' mumbled delivery.

I like the idea behind it and the acting was good and believable. Set early 80s i'd assume. It's a comedy drama I reckon and there were some wry touches to make you grin and some good bits of script. The story maybe a bit long winded and there were several sad bits but it moved along well and matched my expectations. I kept watching the film, even though expecting maybe, just a half an hour try out. I'd watch it again and the music tracks are good.... The actors were pretty much unknown to me so there's a certain freshness to the screen which makes a nice change. All in all a good and worthwhile watch.

When I first looked down the reviews, I was wondering whether they were written by people who worked on the movie as I'm certain this sometimes happens. However, this is lots of fun with a generally witty script, and a phew laugh out loud moments. For those of us, who can remember what the 80s were like, the old Ford Escort, that struggled to start in cold weather and some cheesy music. With a couple of exceptions, the soundtrack, while not featuring the best music of the 80s by a long way, will still evoke some happy memories. The lead roles are extremely well played, especially by he always watchable Sally Phillips. Take some of the story with a pinch of salt and have a good chuckle. Very much Recommended.

This was way better than I expected, some great period detail with some great acting performances and some nice comic moments. Started to watch this late at night with a view to watching half now and half the next day but was hooked and stayed up to finish it. The brothers steal the show and the clothing/shops/cars help transport you back to the 80's. I don't normally leave reviews I just read them on here if it's a film I have never heard of. Ignore the 1 star review it's totally unjustified and the main reason for me leaving a positive one. Not every film appeals to everyone but you generally know what type of film you're going to watch when you choose it. Give this a watch you won't be disappointed.

In terrific, fresh, low-budget '80s-based blue-collar Brit dramedy "The Fence" David Perkins is a rough diamond young Bristol lad who has the new motorbike he'd been saving for stolen... so with the likes of big brother Eugene Simon and mates Deshaye Gaye & Gabriel Howell he goes on a gradually darkening hunt for it through various 'colourful' local characters (like Lee Armstrong, Alexander Lincoln & Paul Holbrook). The soundtrack's rockin' and Sally Phillips offers minor support, but the real stars (both on their debuts) are Perkins (bang on) & writer/director William Stone (great). It's a must see for all Brits of a certain age... especially if they're from the West Country.