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What a beautiful movie!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Nice to see via the comments and the message board that this film was held in high regard . I remember it well . It's one of those tough , gritty realist type movies broadcast late night on Channel 4 sometime in the late 1980s when that particular channel was interested in showcasing challenging home grown talent . In those days my peers and myself would nearly always be watching movies on VHS cassette and would involve people with American accents suffering terrible and gory deaths via mad axemen and monsters . It'd be a novelty in seeing a serious film , never mind a British produced one and this type of movie in look and feel would be occasionally attempted by Ken Loach or Alan Clarke . That said perhaps the novelty of seeing BABYLON gave it a reputation that possibly isn't that deserved As I started to watch it again I really found asking myself I'd be able to make it all the way through to the end credits down to one reason - the characters talk in heavy Jamaican tones . I did recognise the Jamaican phrase for " Good afternoon . How are you my friend ? " which is " Hey mon " but after that I was totally puzzled as to the conversations taking place . Just about every black character in the film talks like that with the ironic exception of the one bloke who does look like he's just stepped off the boat from Kingston and you're now able to understand what's going on to an extent. Nice to know he also has a white friend because that means there's at least two people I can understand . There's other white people too but they're incapable of opening their mouths without a tirade of racial insults spewing from it . And this is the problem with BABYLON - there's hardly one single likable or sympathetic character in it and is rather dated in every aspect One can see the point the film is making . It was produced in 1980 , the year before the Brixton riots and a time when institutionalized racism was the norm and what BABYLON deserves very great credit for is in its sophistication in not painting society as " White people = rabid racist oppressors , Black people = poor innocent victims " . What I mean by this is that several white characters mouth racist insults but you see them having a motive for being angry . A mechanic walks out in the middle of work earning the ire of his employer . If the boss was truly racist would he have given a black kid a job in the first place ? A group of reggae fans are having all night parties in a lock up garage thereby upsetting the residents nearby . Now if the actions were done by a group of white chavs the outcome would possibly have the same outcome ? The police are painted as racist bully boys but you'd to have to a very naive reader of The Daily Mail not to believe there's a large element of truth in this especially taking on board the location and the period it's set in and explains to an extent the motives of most of the black characters who do have very large chips on their shoulders. This level of sophistication where the audience are allowed to make up their own minds as to the causes of racism or indeed if we're racist simply because we're human and want to belong to our own tribe is left open ended but is striking in the refreshing and ambiguous way it's put forward . Also interesting that a couple of characters are portrayed as being violent " queer bashers " and if you really want to really confuse and upset a bleeding heart liberal just show a couple of black guys beating up a homosexual . You wouldn't get that in EASTENDERS BABYLON isn't a great film and because of the language problem makes it rather inaccessible for a mainstream audience along with the dated look . It is however a good example of a British realist drama and despite being a political film is thankfully free of the political overstatement that Loach might have brought to the story . I've also had a look at the resume of the director Franco Rosso and was surprised and a little sad that his career didn't really progress beyond this movie because with a couple of more films under his belt I'd be very interested in seeing what sort of director he'd be like as he matured . As it stands BABYLON seems a career highlight of a far too short career

Look, I'm glad I saw Babylon. Low budget cult, yes. And as my man maphubaird said, it takes itself a little too seriously. For me, The film had 4-6 gorgeous, modern shots. Shots that showed the East End ( Might has well as been the Bronx the same period) in it's long lensed and well framed "bald reality." Yet, the story was clumsy. Only the blazing of a big head on my part assisted in long term watching of "Babylon" . BUT!!! I will celebrate the soundtrack in the fullest as well as big up the "winding section" That was some of the most loping and genuine film I'd ever seen.Bottom line, I watched a third generation video tape dub (EAT ASS MPAA!) and still thoroughly enjoyed this film. And to tell the truth, a good 89% of my friends would enjoy it too( I know the "gorilla in the midst" in me liked it.)We all like these stories, these immigrant, overcoming odds stories... Just let's not be predictable. Maybe This film was a victim of it's time and misguided white influence, maybe it was the hack writer from Quadrophenia. All for naught.The energy is there, it's just the timeless art that's missing. More good shots, less cliché, more BK reality and Babylon would be as prescient now as it was in the 80's.ps-Big Up if you came here from the Don Letts interview!!!

Even now after 26 years of the film being released, I can still remember many of the scenes. Me and my brother love to run of the one liners like "Sprat and be d' banker" and "....an I doh wa fi subsidise you..". This film is an absolute classic and I would give my right hand to find this movie on DVD. This is my most memorable film from the 80's and every time I see the white dude doing the Flash adverts, I remember when Beffy did buck him down after he was chatting about the "pure wickedness man...". There wasn't too many films that depicted the racial tensions that existed between blacks and whites living in London during the 80's. I was only ten years old when this was released, but this film is etched firmly in my memory.Big respect to the actors and producers of this film.

you dun even CAAAAARRRREE!!!" Hard hitting film about black youths growing up in south london during the 80s, dealing with racism. The scenes where the two white police officers beat up the hero are chilling and brutally realistic. In the 70's black youth embraced rastafari and the movement allowed them to form their own identity and stay united. Brindsley Forbes is excellant, as is the soundtrack by aswad. Check out warrior charge "tune is had like concrete!" DUBPLATE!!! Why is this excellant film not on DVD or video? It has been shown on channel 4 once before and I did have it on tape but lost it.Nowadays the only way to see it is by renting it from some black music/video shops if you can find it. Yes ronnie is the guy from brush strokes. "Fat larry your one crook" "Brixton y'acall dis?" The only OTHER film that has lyrics like this is The Harder They Come. If anyone has this on video can you please contact me so I can get a copy!Cheers!