We want to get to know you more to help improve our service. Please take 2 minutes to fill out our survey here. Thank you! test2

This film is currently unavailable

This film is not rated

I accept this guidance

Title of error

See Help

Cosh Boy

Lewis Gilbert’s shocking and controversial 1952 drama focuses on a gang of juvenile delinquents and their dangerous exploits in post-war London.

Drama 1953 75 mins Not rated

Director: Lewis Gilbert

Rent for £3.50

Overview

Lewis Gilbert shocked 1950s audiences with this dark and controversial depiction of delinquent youths in post-war London. Roy (James Kenney) is a brash, chain-smoking thug who bullies his friends (including Rene, played by a young Joan Collins) into subservience. He and his gang assault and rob people on the street, but things get increasingly dangerous when their behaviour escalates to murderous consequences. Gilbert’s film is unafraid to tackle taboo subjects ranging from violence to abortion, but remains grounded in its human perspective.

Gilbert’s film is not just an exacting portrayal of dangerous youths, but an authentic time-capsule of pre-regeneration London. With its dark depiction of bombed-out locations reflecting its characters’ aimless destruction, Cosh Boy delivers a penetrating picture of 1950s Britain and its tense atmosphere. A while after he made this this entertaining, energetic exploitation piece, imbued with added moral weight by a worthily worded on-screen prologue, gifted, prolific Hackney-born director Lewis Gilbert helmed numerous major British features, including three James Bond films.

Director

Lewis Gilbert

Featuring

James Kenney , Joan Collins and Betty Ann Davies

Genres

Drama

Certificate

Not rated

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rent for £4.50

Barrio Boy Barrio Boy

Romance 2022 83 mins Director: Dennis Shinners

A Latino barber embarks on an erotically charged odyssey of self-discovery over one hot summer in Brooklyn.

Rent for £4.50

Small Things Like These Small Things Like These

Drama 2024 99 mins Director: Tim Mielants

Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.

Rent for £3.50

Rafiki Rafiki

Drama 2018 83 mins Director: Wanuri Kahiu

Romantic sparks fly between the daughters of two opposing politicians in Wanuri Kahiu’s neon-bright story of forbidden love in Kenya.

Rent for £4.50

Who We Love Who We Love

Drama 2021 94 mins Director: Graham Cantwell

Bullied for her sexuality, Dublin schoolgirl Lily turns to her gay best friend for support in this vibrant coming-out, coming-of-age drama.

Rent for £4.50

2073 2073

Documentary 2024 83 mins Director: Asif Kapadia

Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia's unsettling drama-documentary delivers a powerful commentary on the state of the world today… and tomorrow.

Rent for £4.50

Only the River Flows Only the River Flows

Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei

Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.

Rent for £3.50

Poor Cow Poor Cow

Drama 1968 101 mins Director: Ken Loach

Ken Loach’s perceptive, personal, and moving debut feature film tells the story of a young mother’s struggles while her husband is in jail.

Rent for £3.50

Catch Me Daddy Catch Me Daddy

Thriller 2015 112 mins Director: Daniel Wolfe and Matthew Wolfe

A young couple whose relationship has divided a community are forced on the run through the streets and moors of nocturnal Yorkshire.

Rent for £3.50

Harry Brown Harry Brown

Crime 2009 103 mins Director: Daniel Barber

Michael Caine’s storming return to an action role finds him as a retired marine confronting local hoodlums on his housing estate.

Currently unavailable

The Long Good Friday The Long Good Friday

Gangster 1981 109 mins Director: John Mackenzie

Bob Hoskins charms as a London mob boss brokering a development deal with the American mafia – but somebody wants to see him dead.

Rent for £2.50

Mona Lisa Mona Lisa

Drama 1986 100 mins Director: Neil Jordan

Neil Jordan's gritty thriller stars Bob Hoskins as a gangster recently released from prison who falls in love with the prostitute he is supposed to be protecting.

Rent for £3.50

Journeyman Journeyman

Drama 2018 92 mins Director: Paddy Considine

Paddy Considine directs and stars with Jodie Whittaker in this emotional knockout - the story of a boxer rebuilding his life after a near-fatal injury.

Rent for £3.50

My Generation My Generation

Documentary 2018 86 mins Director: David Batty

Michael Caine takes us back to swinging London in this engaging documentary on the 1960s cultural revolution, featuring over 50 interviews with the key players.

Rent for £2.50

Quest for Love Quest for Love

Romance 1971 87 mins Director: Ralph Thomas

This British sci-fi comedy, adapted from a John Wyndham story, follows a man’s search to find the ideal woman whom he briefly meets in a parallel universe.

Rent for £3.50

The Sea Shall Not Have Them The Sea Shall Not Have Them

War 1955 92 mins Director: Lewis Gilbert

After their aircraft is shot down, four military men cast adrift must struggle to survive in this gripping WWII drama.

Rent for £3.50

Johnny on the Run Johnny on the Run

Children's 1953 68 mins Director: Lewis Gilbert

A Polish refugee runs into trouble with two scheming thieves in this superb early work from illustrious British director Lewis Gilbert (Alfie, You Only Live Twice).