Quadrophenia

London, 1965: Like many other youths, Jimmy hates the philistine life, especially his parents and his job in a company’s mailing division…

• Director:Franc Roddam
• Genre:Crime | Drama | Music
• Runtime:117 minutes

Cast

Phil Daniels : Jimmy
Leslie Ash : Steph
Philip Davis : Chalky
Mark Wingett : Dave
Sting : Ace Face
Ray Winstone : Kevin (as Raymond Winstone)

The film, set in 1964, follows the story of Jimmy Cooper (Phil Daniels), a London Mod (one of a group of fashion-obsessed working-class youths who listen to African-American soul, Jamaican ska, and British beat music and R&B, take amphetamines and ride Vespa and Lambretta scooters). The Mods’ arch-enemies are the Rockers, who in turn wear black leather and ride motorcycles and prefer traditional Rock ‘n’ Roll. Disillusioned by his parents and a dead-end job as a post room boy in an advertising firm, Jimmy finds an outlet for his teenage angst with his Mod pals Dave (Mark Wingett), Chalky (Philip Davis) and Spider (Gary Shail). However, his angst and confusion are compounded by the fact that one of his Rocker rivals is in fact childhood friend Kevin (Ray Winstone), to whom he comments, “I don’t wanna be the same as everybody else – that’s why I’m a Mod, see?”

A bank holiday weekend provides the excuse for the rivalry between the two gangs to come to a head, as they both descend upon the seaside town of Brighton. A series of running battles ensues, based on the real-life “Second Battle of Hastings” riot of 1964. As the police close in on the rioters, Jimmy escapes down an alleyway with Steph (Leslie Ash), a girl on whom he has a crush, to have sex. When the pair emerge, they find themselves in the middle of the melee just as police are succeeding in detaining rioters. Jimmy is arrested and later fined £50.Read more

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