Made In Dagenham

Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham tells the story of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham assembly plant by its female workers. The reason for the strike was the women campaigning for equal pay, and the long term effect eventually led to a change in the law. Though it’s an important footnote in British employment law, at first glance it doesn’t appear as a story that would make riveting cinema. However, though Cole’s film is unlikely to provoke second viewings, he’s smart enough to tap into the aspects of quintessential British film movie making that earn plaudits both here and abroad. We have social realism, mentions of the war, cold and rainy landscapes, dry wit, black humour, and, of course, plenty of swearing. This feels like a stable mate of Brassed Off, Billy Elliott and (though to a lesser extent) The Full Monty. Sally Hawkins takes the lead role and does a fine job, though she doesn’t really inhabit her character enough to persuade us that we’re not watching Sally Hawkins. As with a lot of ensemble films, it’s the lesser characters that are actually more interesting, though Cole finds it a bit of a struggle to get the balance right. However, despite some 1960’s clichés, it’s hard to be too down on the overall show as films like this must always be made in order to counterbalance the blockbusters. Plus, in this you get both Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson, and that’s definitely worth downing tools for.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A well acted interesting real life story. Unlikely to be a future DVD purchase though. Rating: 7/10