A Yorkshire mining town is suffering the throes of the Thatcher recession. The mine is threatened with total shutdown, which would also put an end to the Grimley Colliery Band, a brass ensemble as old as the century-old mines. Danny Ormondroyd, the indefatigable conductor (Postlethwaite), insists the men keep rehearsing for the national competition, no matter what happens. Andy Barrow (McGregor, the same year he did "Trainspotting" and "Emma"), is a new member, and when a gal named Gloria (delectable Tara Fitzgerald) shows up to play flugelhorn, she causes a flurry in the all-male outfit and eventually hooks up with Andy -- but whose side is she on in the labor dispute? "Brassed Off" is both a funny and bristly political tale that wears its heart on its sleeve and uses its soundtrack to excellent effect (note the counterpoint between a haunting theme from Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" and the opening of union negotiations). It's a Capra-esque plot with thick northern England accents.
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The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
