brassed off feels like a film that should be angrier than it comes off as. the film takes a definitive point of view and condemns the actions of the government and interests from other companies. they are very clearly attacking that audience for its role in the downfall of the smaller towns in england. but, brassed off comes off as a light and affable film that doesn't know how to channel its anger to bolster the point of the film. it lets it lurk beneath the surface, rather than finding a way to let it out. so much so that when the film comes to its conclusion and climactic speech, the moment doesn't feel authentic and that moment seems off compared to the rest of the film. brassed off tells the story of a small town in england as their coal mine is being threatened with closure. the story focuses on the trials and tribulations of the men of the local brass band and their determination to keep playing. the story is fraught with many of the same cliches that you would expect from a film like this and it goes exactly as you think it will. the film takes the side of the inhabitants of this small town and doesn't give much room for grey area. which is a fine stance to take. the film understands the grave economic and social impacts that these policies had on england and on small towns like these where the whole infrastructure of the place is built around an industry that is failing because of the national social and political climate. the film's anger is very understandable. it just never gets around to letting it out enough to be effective as a socially conscious film. to the film's credit, it isn't a hard film to watch. it's likeable enough and there isn't anything that is terrible with it. it's just mediocre throughout. the films biggest strength is that it manages to be thoroughly likeable and affable despite the fact that we have seen it all before. sure, it looses its edge on the route towards doing that but at least it does that well. and, the performances here are pretty good for the most part. there aren't any standouts but the ensemble does a pretty convincing job and all of them work pretty well together. they all hold their own pretty well, especially considering the somewhat common story telling structure. the music is really at the core of this film and the music that the band plays taps right into the emotions that the people of the town themselves are feeling. it becomes their way of having a voice despite the fact that they have no voice when it comes to the bigger social picture and the closing of their mine. the town, the music, and the characters lives are tied up with the fate of the mine and the music is able to capture that effectively and augment the performances pretty well. in the end though, this isn't much of a memorable film and there isn't anything outstanding about it. the film, in my opinion, had a lot of potential for hitting the right balance between comedy, anger, and drama but wasn't able to harness the anger lurking beneath the surface to get to that point. still it is a fun and likeable film and at least there is that to enjoy about the film.