All or Nothing

Mike Leigh's films all work in a similar direction (with the possible exception of Topsy Turvy) and study similar topics, and All Or Nothing continues this award winning trend, continuing his focus on the less well-off quarters of London, their inhabitants and their directionless lives.

Leigh (who is arguably one of Britain's greatest directors) this time follows a cast of eleven grotesque characters. There's Phil (Leigh regular Timothy Spall), a cabbie, and Penny (Lesley Manville), a Safeway checkout person, and their fat grown children, Rachel, who works at a nursing home, and Rory, a surly do-nothing. And there is the alcoholic Carol, who's married to Ron, a lazy cab driver. There are the young daughters Donna and Samantha, and a couple of townie rude-boys - Jason and Craig - who hang around in the courtyard, and the one upbeat person, a single mom named Maureen.

You can guarantee you recognise at least one character in every Leigh film, testament to his character-writing talent. Emotional, dark, and grotesque while at all times maintaining a sense of humour, this is yet another example of a master at work.