Shane Meadows is fast becoming one of the finest directors to come out of England, his films have such an earthy quality to them it's very hard to imagine that any Englishman can not find one film from his output that they can't identify with. Be it thematically or character wise. Meadows is the man from the street laying out his stories with honesty and gusto awareness. Whether Meadows will ever break out and be a hit outside of the British Isles is highly debatable, his Dead Man's Shoes from 2004 was well received away from his home shores, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone in American multiplexes (for example purposes only) who could tell you who he is, which for a director who has his finger firmly on the pulse of characterisation, that is a crying shame.A Room For Romeo Brass is the tale of two teenage boys who during a fight with some bullies meet gangly loner Morell, as Morell starts to take an unhealthy obsession with Romeo's sister, their friendship is pulled apart, but this is merely the start of Morell's impact as he is about to explode into both of the boys already fractured families.That's all you need to know really, for there is no more to tell, and this is one of Meadows's main strengths, there are no hidden agendas, no allegories of wars, this is just an everyday English housing estate with two families awash with everyday characters. Just how often do you see a loner in your neighbourhood? They are there, are they all like Morell? Well it may be best not to find out eh?Paddy Considine makes his film debut here (thankfully he is now a name across the waters), and his turn as Morell is as scary as it is sad. Anyone who was impressed with his turn as the vengeful Richard in Dead Man's Shoes will be well rewarded here. A young Andrew Shim as Romeo grabs the role with sizzling vitality, a character calling for strength of nature whilst layering in a heartfelt slant that the story benefits from. I must mention big Frankie Harper (Dog in Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels), playing Romeo's estranged father, he gets it absolutely note perfect and I was delighted to see Meadows give him the film's crowning moment.A film that opens with The Specials and closes with The Stone Roses should always appeal to an English heart, but lets get Shane Meadows' work out there to the masses, for here is a man who even gives an end credit mention for the man who turned on the generators, a man making films for the people, about the people in our midsts. 8/10

Romeo and Gavin are schoolboys, friends and neighbours living in the suburbs of Nottingham in the Midlands. Gavin has a spinal problem that causes him to limp, while Romeo has domestic problems and is prone to his temper. One day they meet adult Morell, who helps them beat off some bullies and gives them a lift home. Morell takes a shine to Romeo's sister and starts hanging around with the boys but he is slightly unhinged and his friendship with Romeo threatens to split the friendship of the two boys.I watched This is England recently and it encouraged me to look back across other Shane Meadows films that I hadn't seen either for years or at all. Shamefully, this film fell into the latter camp but thanks to the BBC's summer of British cinema I got the chance to see it recently. Typically it is set in Nottingham with a world and characters that Meadows had experience of and as a result it is more convincing that perhaps the main thrust of the narrative has a right to be. The two characters of Romeo and Gavin are both well written and convincing and mostly they move the film along, even though I wasn't totally convinced that Morell would be able to get the type of relationships he got before everyone realised what he was about. Other than this slight issue though, the film does engage and it is mainly thanks to the acting.Meadows directs his cast well while also making good use of music and the movement of the camera. Shim is excellent in the title role and is very convincing in his performance. Marshall was less so; OK he had a bit stiffer character and is on the side of the story as the film goes on but he is very much secondary to Shim. Dominating the film though with an astonishing debut is Paddy Considine. He is amusing to children in the way some adults can be, but he never lets us forget that he is more than just a bit child-like and that unhinged is a polite description. In smaller supporting roles are McClure, Higgins, Harper and Hall, who are all good. Apart from adding the weight of his name as support, Hoskins does little but I suppose for the support alone he deserves credit.Overall then this is an enjoyable and quite disturbing film. The narrative offered me a few problems in the extremes but the natural and engaging delivery covered for them, while Meadows brings roundly convincing performances from his cast, not least of which are two strong debuts from Shim and Considine.

this is a fantastic gem of a film. romeo and knocks are best friends until the former befriends an interesting character called morell who leads the boys down a dark and violent path in his quest to date romeos sister all the while pushing the previously inseparable boys friendship to the test. great characters all round especially from knocks comical dad and a simultaneously hilarious and disturbing performance from paddy considine - who i first saw in 'stoned' - check both out! the film is directed by shane meadows who has also directed a film called dead mans shoes which my house mate tells me is f****** excellent. i was surprised this film isn't better known because i thought it has lots of potential and a cameo from bob hoskins

'A Room For Romeo Brass' is a startling piece of work and one I was quite unprepared for. I had seen some of Shane Meadow's earlier work (Twenty Four Seven, Smalltime, and Where's The Money Ronny?) and been very impressed by it but Romeo Brass is so far ahead of anything the director had done before that it knocked me sideways. Firstly the movie is a small scale drama with more emotional insight than the most epic of Hollywood movies. It is filled with stunning performances, witty dialogue and so many small moments that just feel true. For me, it's biggest achievement is the way it perfectly captures that time when you are young and your best friend is the most important thing in the world to you. The thought of them abandoning you is pure torture. This is something I had not seen represented in films before to such an extent. If you haven't seen this film yet than stop reading this and go and watch it because the film plays better the less you know about it. To discuss the film properly it is impossible not to reveal some potential PLOT SPOILERS. Like how the film throws the audience a complete curve about thirty minutes in when Morrell's character changes from a humorous man-child to a deranged psychopath. This moment is handled so well and one of the film's chief assets is the stunning performance by Paddy Considine (Romeo Brass is, amazingly, his debut). For my money Considine is Britain's most exciting actor currently working. His range is staggering. (See 'In America' where he even manages to act Samantha Morton off the screen!) The two young leads are mighty impressive too. Watching Romeo Brass is an absolute pleasure. One moment it is hilarious, the next terrifying. There is a wonderful generosity of spirit to the film. Like the work of another of my absolute favourite film makers, Paul Thomas Anderson, there is an emphasis on the quiet dignity and humanity of everyday folk. Nowhere is this better encapsulated than in the (absolutely terrifying sequence) where Gavin's father, previously something of a good for nothing type, kneels down to be sacrificed to protect his family. I have seen posted on the notice board that some viewers feel that this character is a wimp for his actions. But the sheer dignity, the reserves of humanity, expressed by him there is incredible. The film also captures violence very well in that it doesn't glamourise it, it shows what a messy, frightening, degrading experience it is. After watching the film I had to sit down and smoke some cigarettes because it really rang true for me. This film is the best British film I have seen for years. It's right up there with Shallow Grave and The Third Man. As such I think it's criminally under rated. One of the reasons for this I feel is the way it was marketed. I caught the film recently on DVD. The reason I missed it at the cinema was not that I was unaware of it but that the posters of a large pair of pants didn't exactly inspire me. This film has nothing to do with pants! If any British film should be advertised with a picture of a pair of pants it is Love Actually (and in that case the pants should be skid-marked) not this miraculous film. Go and watch Romeo Brass. Tell your friends, tell complete strangers, spread the word, the following starts here!