User reviews

The film has everything you'd want it to have. Especially if you're British. Probably more of a bloke's film, but still fun for everyone.

The story is brilliant, and so accurately welsh. Every minor detail adds to the whole experience. The film progresses like a serious drama and seems to come out with brilliant comedy without even trying. As well as the actual storyline being funny, little quirks about each character and even the attention to welsh detail makes you laugh.

Not only is it well written, it's also beautifully filmed, and makes great use of the camera. The film encompasses a huge range of interesting shots.

Enhancing the film further was it's great choice of cast. All the characters were perfectly conveyed, and film avoided any bad performances.

The music is also something to listen out for, as it stands out as a good piece of work on it's own.

I highly recommend Twin Town (especially if you're British), as it's an exciting film experience with a great story, interesting shots, decent actors, and appropriate use of excessive swearing and violence.

It suddenly occurred to me while watching this film that, whether by accident or design, I've seen a whole lot of films that star Rhys Ifans. His brother Llyr appears with him here, the lesser-experienced brother that had previously only appeared in Ymadawiad Arthur and has made no further films to date. He does adequately, yet watching this - Rhys' second cinema film - it becomes clear he's the star.

Off-puttingly touted as the "Welsh Trainspotting" - because who wants imitations? - this is really nothing of the sort, and is far more impressive than you would expect. Already three years old, it has yet to be shown on British terrestrial television and nor do I expect it ever will be. It's content is morally vacuous, including police corruption, joyriding, drug taking, animal killings and murder. Peppering the script are a man who breaks his wife's nose, massage parlour brothels, female masturbation and almost continuous usage of the f-word.

If that hasn't already put you off, this is a tale that features two bath-sharing brothers, who, after being refused compensation for their father's broken leg, take revenge by urinating on their enemy's daughter. However, Twin Town, bizarrely, never really offends, as it is done in, despite the subject matter, a good-natured tone. And I did have to smile at the real-life names of the dogs that feature in this tale of cocaine dealers - Charlie and Snowy. I wonder if that was intentional?

What really grips about Twin Town is that, in the age of the depleted UK film industry, it lacks the desperate mugging and dead laugh areas that characterise the 1990s British "comedy". A desperate, "please love us America, please give us your box office, we're begging", which is normally prevalent in the genre, is almost wholly absent here. (For further information on such a desperate breed, see Rhys' first major film: "Notting Hill") Okay, there is the overstatement that sees a male voice choir singing Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime", or the twins joyriding their own father's hearse, but generally this film, despite the extremities of it's plot, does keep an eye towards realism and naturalistic dialogue. And the overlong, feeble "comic pauses" that normally kill off the rotting carcasses of British Film are nowhere to be found, due to a constantly moving, frenetic pace.

The only down side to all this is that, apart from Rhys who has appeared in, to date, ten movies after this, the rest of the crew involved haven't achieved success. In fact, this was the first feature of the two writers involved and they haven't written another film since, presumably due to its lacklustre showing at the box office. A great shame, as Twin Town is well worth watching.

Very very funny.

A sleeper hiding in the dusty back shelves of the video store, that I took out one night with curiosity and no expectations. I'm three-quarters English, a quarter Welsh and have spent a long time in Australia, but I don't think it was just the Welsh part of me that enjoyed this movie.

I loved its roughness, its quirkiness, its lack of perfection and its reality and sure! some of the characters were grubby, superficial and less than enervating.

This is a loosely woven picture of reality in an under-privileged urban environment with all the mundanity, idiocy, drama, violence, beauty and humour of everyday life that eddies around us, and in this instance, the Lewis twins. There are a couple of truly hilarious scenes that very few actors could emulate, but the twins in the movie are twins in real life and it flows naturally.

Revenge escalates inevitably beyond the frivolous into the 'deadly' serious with a speed and abandonment that has you gasping. But unlike some movies that lose it at the end, this one magically gathers in all the loose threads and delivers a finale of epic proportions that elegantly spans the coldly ruthless and the vauntingly sublime and leaves you with a sense of deep justice.

GREAT. This is the sort of stuff the Americans don't do very often or very well, and mostly misunderstand when someone else does it properly. This was done properly.

Reviewers disappointed by an inevitable comparison with Trainspotting obviously missed a lot of the subtle stuff in both movies that is exclusive to the towns, times and cultures they portray. They got sidetracked by the 'big' issues ....

Shelve your preconceptions, grab the remote and replay all those bits that are hard to catch if your ear isn't tuned to the accent. Sure it helps if bad language doesn't get in the way of enjoyment, but let's face it, you should be used to those Anglo-Saxon and Gaelic words by now - so if you can handle it, this one's a delight - but it'll never be mainstream.

I enjoyed the film, but can easily see how others might not feel as I did. When I saw the preview, I was immediately interested in the movie -- despite the fact that the preview I saw revealed nothing about the film itself. The most I ever get to learn or hear about Wales is through reading Hollinshed's histories of the middle ages. It was interesting to see a film actually set in a modern Welsh town.

Besides, it was f'ing hilarious.

This is one of my favourite all time films, it is funny, irreverent, unexpected, gritty, real in a surreal way and very very funny. Maybe not everyone got it.. maybe not everyone has been to Wales.. but it captures it so accurately, in a comic book yet real way. It is full of tender moments as well as being brutal and immoral. So many jokes, so many visual gags, and so many really warm and well imagined characters. It is two fingers up to Hollywood, to formulaic movies.. it is in a whole new genre of it own.

From the very first scene to its finale it is rich in entertainment, shock, surprise, humour and emotion. This is such a good film... I love it!

Being a Swansea girl originally, I had no trouble in deciphering the accents...

Swansea is indeed an Ugly, Lovely City, and the stark and honest portrayal of life in the dull valleys of south Wales, where unemployment is high, was a piece of script writing and directing genius. The Lewis "twins" were played brilliantly by the Evans brothers, and their honest and forthright portrayal of two youngsters bored with the humdrum life was refreshing and gritty. The human touch in this film was evident from the start, and in many areas it seemed to have an almost Docu Drama type genre, which added to the realism. It is unfair to compare Twin town to Trainspotting, as there are no comparisons to be made, both should be viewed as independant films, and to link them together does the would be viewer no justice. Twin Town has all the elements of a great movie, Comedy, Drama, and in combining these,the viewer cannot help but become attached to the characters. This film made me laugh, gasp and cry.A stroke of Pure Genius.

It is a good film, worth seeing I guess, but it was let down by the poor ending. It has the feel of an ending that was cut down to fit a set length to the film. Also, the ending was a bit immature - gratuitous violence was introduced which compares very badly with the humorous violence shown earlier.

Such a shame, could have been a brilliant film otherwise.

What a film! It was hyped up during it's release, so when I saw it, I understood why! It's set in Swansea, (Only 8 miles from where I live!), so I could really connect with the surroundings and the larger than life characters. Mind you, the storyline was something I wouldn't have associated with the city...yeah right!

Rhys Ifans' and Dougray Scott's break out roles, this one oozes great performance's. Some people knock the acting 'cos it seems 'hammed up', but the Welsh are like that. We do tend to go OTT sometimes, we are larger than life people! And as the script shows, we are very nationalistic.

Great direction, and with nearly every recognisable Welsh actor in it, this is a dark, funny, and entertaining film. The script is fresh, and the plot is good. And as the caption on the sleeve states, the film DOES "raise an index finger to Hollywood".

Rating? nothing short of perfect 10! Go and see it NOW! I promise you, you will not be dissapointed!

Incoherent, stupid and derivative, this was positively the worst film I've ever seen. Badly acted, horribly pretentious and narratively inept, it felt like it ran for hours. Don't waste your time or money on this clueless, charmless and pointless waste of celluloid. No redeeming value whatsoever.

It's quite nice to see how good this film is when you think about it. A lot of people don't really know much about Welsh films and to be honest it's because there isn't that many unless there are in welsh language. Before Dougrary Scott starred in Mission Impossible 2 and Ripley's game there was Twin Town and the same goes for Rhys Ifans who stole most of the limelight on Notting Hill as the mad masturbating Welshman Spike but it all started here with Kevin Allen's Twin Town. A hard look at Swansea life through so many different characters who you forget who is who after the first half hour but what a bunch of characters they are. Most of them actually put Wales to shame but with a funny twist of humour and violence. This came hot on the heels of Trainspotting and had a lot to look up to but I think this just as good as Trainspotting. It starts off well enough and keeps going throughout without it letting up for a second till the end credits. Even though there are some ruthless people in this you can't help but fall in love with them especially Terry played by Dougrary Scoot who is just so comic as a hard cop bully who thinks he is the man but is actually very accident prone at most times and that's what makes him great amongst other roles.

This is a so much happening here and we should look at this for what it is which is a feel good film that starts you off straight away and doesn't let you stop till the end credits.

Twin Town has to be seen to be believed! It can make you laugh harder than you could ever imagine, mainly because the characters are like

people that you know and love. It is a story of life in Swansea, South Wales... a new and different culture for some of us. The scenery is gorgeous, the accents are char- ming, and the script is clever and incredibly funny!!! Rhys Ifans and Llyr Evans (brothers in reality) are Jeremy and Julian Lewis, two boys who are out for revenge after their dad is injured at work and his boss refuses to compensate him. What follows is some of the crudest, most off-the-wall humor in the history of film. (Look for Fergie the poodle and the wiener-wagon scene --- I laughed out loud!) Suprisingly, there are some serious moments as well, and you may find yourself wiping away a tear. This is when you find your identification with the Boys, and the movie becomes yet even more wonderful. All in all, this is my favorite movie because of the wonderfully warm and funny cast and the never-say-die attitude of the Lewis brothers. Don't miss it!

Whereas the two cities in the Central Lowlands of Scotland had Trainspotting, then Wales's second city of Swansea had Twin Town. It's own director Kevin Allen had a bit part in Trainspotting and Twin Town was his attempts to bring the former into Ugly City-Lovely City (a reference by Dylan Thomas). This film looked to be promising with the locals but the cinema regulars claim it not be good because it contains too much bad language but as the hit movie Trainspotting is included with swear words, then they have not seen the latter.

The plots and dialogues of Twin Town are quite acceptable but it's success is no match for Trainspotting. Rhys Ifans & Co delivers some excellent performances throughout the film's length. There's some insights of seedy scenes included and driving stolen cars for the reel streets locations around that era certainly had a high rate of car crime. Overall, it's not too bad a film. It certainly does have local cult following.

This film is an absolute gem, the variety of characters and quirky one liners are hilarious, especially to the locals.

Its a film which is not bound by the QUOTAS and political BS that every film in this day and age is riddled with.

If this was the last film I ever got to see on my death bed, I would die with a smile on my face.

A cynical attempt by a studio to create a welsh 'trainspotting'. The two main characters are unlikable, the plot is awful and it isn't even funny.

Twin Town cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Trainspotting, simply because it is a completely different film, the fact that they are both set in squalid urban surroundings and involve drugs is incidental. Twin Town is basically a sequence of revenge acts between two groups of people linked in all sorts of ways. The Twins to whom the title refers might as well be cardboard cutouts, for the lack of personalities, but you find yourself sympathetic with them despite their debauchery. Likewise the death of the Lewis family (minus the sons) is a very sad moment, despite the fact that they have been portrayed so shallowly. This is the success of the film, the way it manipulates your emotions to leave you genuinely shaken by the violence in the events leading up to the climax, whereas the opening of the film leads you to expect a light-hearted farce. Watching it again it is easy to divide the film into two sections, but very difficult to pin down where the change of pace and mood begins. The humour and irony is superb, particularly the razor sharp sarcasm of Adie. Although a very seedy picture of Wales is presented, this presents a very positive view of the people of Swansea and manages not to be anti-English in the slightest despite the obvious nationalistic feel. The acting is great, and as long as you aren`t expecting anything like Trainspotting and you let the humour wash over you you`ll enjoy this.

I can't for the life of me figure out why this movie doesn't have a cult following. Every time I watch it - I love it even more. Sex, drugs, revenge, romance, laughs and tears. It seems quite simple until you watch a few times and start picking up on all the little things that make it great. If your ear can follow the dialogue you might just find yourself a convert.

This film, as a whole, is poor. Things begin well enough, though, with two brothers meandering through life. They like to steal cars, get high, and ask each other pointless questions, some of which are actually funny. Their world is in shambles. They have no friends, their hometown is a dump, and their family is a rather pathetic lot, even if they're presented in a positive light. All of this makes the brothers' oblivion to the world somehow attractive. The other characters in the film are equally ridiculous - corrupt cops, karaoke nuts, and vulgar nouveau riche types. It's fun to laugh when the brothers' pranks catch these folks off guard.

However, the film takes an ugly, brutal, and somewhat sadistic turn. Jokes develop into murder, and comedic situations into depictions of suffering. In principle, I don't have anything against murder or violence in films, but these elements spoiled this particular film. In addition, only a small percentage of the jokes are funny to begin with, and you must have a very discerning ear to sift through the strong Welsh accent. The box cover bragged of a tie to Trainspotting (I can't remember how). The film is nothing like Trainspotting.

Watched it a few times now....i'm Welsh and went to Uni in Swansea so know it very well, especially the infamous and now long-gone Baron's nightclub ! The film is cracking - funny, poignant, serious and ultimately rewarding when the bad guy gets whats coming to him. The final scene with the choir on Mumbles pier still gives me goosebumps when I watch it. Nice to hear that a "companion" piece called Tin is in the offing, based in Llanelli i think....and in the meantime a short production exists called La Cha Cha which has some of the same cast and same director. As an aside I bumped into the twins (aka the ifans brothers) on a toilet stop in a small car park on the way to see relatives in North Wales years ago. I was so surprised that by the time I summoned up the courage to go and tell them how much I'd enjoyed the film they'd jumped in the car and gone! :-((

Twin Town follows the Lewis brothers also known as the the twins (Jeremy and Julian) played by Rhys Ifans and Llyr Ifans- also brothers in real life although only the former has gone on to forge a successful career in the movies (Notting Hill, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, The Amazing Spider-Man [2012]). Put simply they are delinquent layabouts who are renowned locally for their compulsion to steal cars, get into mischief and take as many tokes as they can from all manner of homemade bongs- utilising everything from shower heads to golf clubs. They live on a caravan site overshadowed by the Swansea industrial works with their parents, sister and dog Cantona (named so after a Welsh football player).

The plot revolves around a series of confrontations that start as frivolous but soon escalate to serious between the twins and the local big crook as the twins feel their father, Fatty, has been wronged. Throw in bent copper Terry with delusions of grandeur played well by Dougray Scott, a karaoke king, some cocaine and a poodle and you've got yourselves the making of an intriguing movie.

The movie unsurprisingly is riddled with Welsh references that some people may be unfamiliar with and understanding the lingo might take a couple of minutes if you have never heard a Welshman before but hang in there as your patience will be rewarded. What I particularly like about this movie is that its rough around the edges and very realistic as you can imagine these types of people existing in the real world.

It's also well known for containing its high usage of the word f'k summed up brilliantly with the first line of the movie- "F'ing dead, f'ing dead as f'k". It is to Twin Town what alcohol is to Withnail And I. As you can therefore imagine the script is not elegant and may not be to everyone's liking but there is some good dialogue thrown in to get you laughing and the development of the plot is well thought out occasionally throwing you in the wrong direction and leading to a well concluded climax.

Twin Town is a unique dark comedy that's passed too many people by and this needs to be rectified as it's a very good movie that has just the right amount of comedy, violence and in the Lewis brothers a couple of cracking, if not slightly disturbing, characters that you end up getting behind and really connecting with.

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One of the few films where my years learning Welsh gives me the advantage over the majority of viewers.

F****** Excellent!

If you don't understand the dialogue just go with the flow it will all become clear in time.

During my tenure as chief projectionist of the Commodore Cinema, Aberystwyth, the only film to have received a standing ovation on more than one night for a week's screening. It's a university town so we have a good mix of local punters, students and holiday people. I rest my case.

The nineties was, on the whole, a good decade for cinema I think. All we seem to have had since then is a load of cgi filled soulless film equivalent of a fast food outlet (Hancock?). Maybe it's just me getting older.

I checked out the "hated it" rating for Twin Town tonight, and was pleasantly surprised to see only two negative reviews receiving two stars or less.

Bloody hell. Some bugger's just nicked my car..............