Babylon

One of the most highly regarded cult British films of the 1980s, Babylon is raw and incendiary film-making at its very best. Sound system 'toaster' Blue (Brinsley Forde) and his Ital Lion crew are looking forward to a sound clash competition with rival outfit Jah Shaka. But as the event approaches, Blue's personal life begins to unravel. Fired from his job, he begins to suspect his girlfriend is cheating on him and then one night he is brutally beaten by plain-clothes policemen. Finally, when their lock-up garage is broken into and their sound-system destroyed, he cannot take any more. Increasingly angered and alienated by what he perceives to be society's rejection of his race and his culture, Blue is compelled to respond by fighting fire with fire. Directed by Franco Rosso, co-written by Martin Stellman (Quadrophenia), and photographed by two-time Oscar winner Chris Menges (The Mission; The Killing Fields).