Scum

“In Borstal, survival rules!”

Carlin (Ray Winstone) arrives at a British borstal with a reputation as a hard case, and the authorities want the ward's leader, Pongo, to cut him down. Alan Clarke films the place in flat, grainy light, with guards who answer every problem with fear and neglect. Boys held by force learn from it, and what they learn is force. Mick Ford plays Archer, a fellow inmate.