Saying frankly, I did not enjoy, nor being moved by the movie. The story is neither dramatic nor exciting. The lead character is not well defined and thus easy to confuse the audience. After watching it, being little bit disappointed, I went out to walk my dog, but the movie occupied my thought even after I came home. This is a story in railway workers in the UK, however I could see similar situation in Japan too. In Japan, many companies are gradually recovering from serious downfall. But during the process of profit recovery, companies have replaced fixed-cost employees by variable cost contract workers. As a result, the lifetime employment system has collapsed, and the power of the unions, the members of which are employees only, have been eroding. At the same time, number of contract workers, who do not have systematic training and skills building, has increased. In this trend the gap between peoples of high wages and low wages are becoming wider. British society has been many years the forerunner in the world of winning the rights of workers. But these rights are now too easily forgotten under the pressure of global economy. This is a social crisis in longer term. At least this movie has succeeded to portray this crisis.

I saw the movie today. It is good to know that while in Hollywood the so called entertainment industry wants to send our minds and conscious into sleep, comes a real humanist film maker and serves as a voice of society in a crisis, of real people like all of us that deal with problems that surface everywhere in the world. How men can survive and remain human and moral while fighting in vain in every establishment, including ones that suppose to help the individual. It is not just a Marxist manifesto but rather a compassion, loving, caring and worried look at a group of people that want to survive in a world that is changing rapidly economically and morally. You'll laugh with them, get frustrated with them and feel pity for them when they make the wrong choice (if such a thing can be defined). As always with Loach's films, it's so reliable that you immediately feel that the characters are a part of your life and there are no actors and no movie - just a look at familiar people who struggle to keep their jobs against a system that doesn't really care for its human resources and by that hurt them and herself. It is really touching and heart-tearing as much as loving with even quite a lot bits of humor which make it more credible. A real must!

As always, a social issue is beautifully intertwined with personal drama: sad, funny, true like life itself. And cinema itself. It's a relief to see someone can entertain and move us in this way, that's definitely not the present-day Hollywood way. On the other hand, Loach's career is brilliant from beginning to end with the only possible exception of Carla's Song that I consider a faux-pas. Like all great artists, Loach with this films add something to our understanding of ourselves, and our present history. I supposed that you understood I liked it. Still it seems I've lost the best: the liverpuldian parley. In Italy unfortunately all these films come dubbed.

A good subject, the destruction of a public service seen from the base up and something that affects all of us. BUT many of Loach's film are far lighter on their feet than this; I wanted to see a movie, not a clunky political diatribe. Worst of all this is sentimental (workers good/bosses bad, plus that sickly ice-stadium "skating with the kids" sequence, let's patronise the down-trodden women and more). And is the story (no spoiler here) really believable at the end?? We are being shown what the system brings honest men to, but they are highly practical, realistic men; would they really come up with such a cock-a-mamie lie?? Loach has made great work in the past but this sadly is not one of his best. Try Riff-Raff (1990), Raining Stones (1993), Land and Freedom (1995) (all great), and early TV work - if you can get hold of it - like Days of Hope (1975) and The Big Flame (1969). Having said that, no-one else is making these kind of relevant films in today's climate in the UK, so watch Navigators but please realise there is better work from Loach waiting for you elsewhere.