The Alan Clarke Collection

Alan Clarke was one of Britain's leading producer-directors in the late 1970s and '80s, specializing in stories that chronicled working-class frustrations erupting in institutional and domestic violence in Margaret Thatcher's England. Offering a chance to see phenomenal early performances by the likes of Tim Roth and Gary Oldman, The Alan Clarke Collection is a five-disc boxed set that includes the explosive and controversial 1977 made-for-television Scum (and its 1979 theatrical remake, both starring Ray Winstone), focusing on a survivor at a corrupt, brutal juvenile prison; 1982's Made in Britain, which introduced Roth to the world as a violent but highly intelligent skinhead seemingly bent on oblivion; 1988's The Firm, a surreal drama about successful grown men who nevertheless moonlight as soccer hooligans (with a brilliant Oldman as the central character); and the infamous 1989 short Elephant, with its series of vignettes about random shootings. Presented with decent transfers, the DVD extras spread throughout the set include a 1991 documentary on Clarke, audio commentaries (with Winstone, Roth, filmmaker Danny Boyle, and others), cast interviews (including Roth and Oldman), and stills galleries. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)