Scum is a 1979 British prison drama film directed by Alan Clarke and starring Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, Julian Firth and John Blundell.

The film tells the story of a young offender named Carlin as he arrives at the institution and his rise through violence and self-protection to the top of the inmates' pecking order, purely as a tool to survive.

The film's controversy arose over its graphic depiction of racism, extreme violence, rape, suicide, many fights and very strong language.

[4] Three young men arrive at a borstal by prison van: Carlin, who has taken the blame for his brother's theft of scrap metal; Angel for stealing a car; and Davis for escaping from an open institution.

He meets and befriends Archer, an eccentric and intellectual inmate serving two years for workplace fraud who is intent upon peacefully inconveniencing the staff as much as possible.

Banks' status appears to have been achieved by petty bullying and intimidation with the aid of his henchmen Richards and Eckersley and the passive assent of the staff.

Realising there is no hope of being allowed to serve his term as a borstal trainee in peace, Carlin exacts revenge and establishes dominance.

He keeps to the same seat at table in the dining hall, to where information and requests are directed, and with his associates such as Archer and Meakin – a contrast to Banks and his bullies.

Carlin's status is recognised by the warders: he requests and gets a single cell in return for agreeing to be a responsible "natural leader" to the housemaster Mr. Goodyear.

Carlin advises him to be careful to avoid Eckersley and his cronies but while working alone in a greenhouse, Davis is gang-raped by three youths who had requested a smoking break after seeing him there.

Their supervising warder Sands sees what happens but reacts with a grin and then ignores the dishevelled state of the semi-undressed trio as they return.

Carlin, Archer and Meakin are later shown being dragged, bleeding and unconscious, into solitary confinement after having been beaten by the wardens.

David Threlfall had been intended to reprise his role as Archer from the BBC version, but he was working with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the time and was subsequently replaced by Mick Ford.

[8] In a High Court case against Channel 4 for showing the film, British morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse initially won her private prosecution,[9] but the decision was later reversed on appeal.

The bleak, snow-dusted locations, the featureless interiors of the institution, the perfect casting and magnificent acting of the indifferent and brutal staff make borstal appear to be what can only be described as a living hell.

[13] In 2015, Australian company Shock Entertainment released Scum on DVD and Blu-ray as part of their Cinema Cult line.