# Scum (1979)

> A ferocious British borstal drama follows young offenders through a closed system where institutional neglect turns survival into a struggle for power and dignity.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/15091

## Facts

- Runtime: 96 min
- Genres: Drama, Crime
- Director: Alan Clarke
- Cast: Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, Julian Firth, John Blundell, Phil Daniels, John Judd, Philip Jackson, Peter Howell
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079871/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: extreme
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: graphic
- Mood: bleak, harrowing, confrontational, serious film study, british cinema retrospective

## Synopsis

A raw and unflinching look at life behind bars, where survival is the only law.

## Movies like Scum

- [Wasteman (2026)](https://ember.film/movie/7327716)
- [The Hill (1965)](https://ember.film/movie/14409)
- [The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)](https://ember.film/movie/9707)
- [I.D. (1995)](https://ember.film/movie/9140)
- [Made in Britain (1983)](https://ember.film/movie/19976)
- [Mean Machine (2001)](https://ember.film/movie/5113)
- [Steve (2025)](https://ember.film/movie/2988774)
- [Neds (2010)](https://ember.film/movie/38201)
- [Fun and Games (1971)](https://ember.film/movie/79244)
- [Quadrophenia (1979)](https://ember.film/movie/5462)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt