While working on a roof, Fatty Lewis tumbles off a ladder and injures himself, initiating a feud between his family and the roof's contractor, Bryn Cartwright. Fatty's infamous unruly sons, Julian and Jeremy attempt to get compensation from Cartwright, who refuses to pay up. The Lewis “twins” then inflict anarchy not only on Cartwright and his family but on anyone they encounter. A gritty, brutal classic slice of Cool Cymru life that launched the career of Rhys Ifans.

+ Q&A with Kevin Allen

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The Welsh in Action

We take a look at three action films from Wales, the 50s film noir Hell Drivers with smouldering Stanley Baker; 90s anarchy unleashed in Twin Town and modern game-changer The Raid, which showcases the talent of Jakarta via Hirwaun.

These three snapshots of how Wales has been key to some very different moments in British film and how these films showcase Welsh identity in the film industry. Stanley Baker, came up in the theatre world at the same time as Richard Burton, but often cast as the thug, leaning into ideas of ‘Taffy’ at the time, but his intelligence and skills gained him respect meaning that as a producer he later got films such as Zulu made bringing a more nuanced idea of Wales to the wider world. Twin Town crashed through the idea of noble Welsh valleys by having the joyriding brothers tearing through the streets in the opening scene. Made in the confident, crass Britpop years, it made a point of celebrating a fuller picture of Welsh culture: violence, drugs and dark humour. Finally we look at the The Raid, made by Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans whose early documentary on the martial art Pencak Silat took him to Indonesia where he conceived this innovative film which has become one of the most highly regarded Action films in recent years. Through thrills and spills we look at how Welsh talent has launched itself upon the world.

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