Quadrophenia (1979)

I sometimes look at my film collection and wonder how a certain title ever made it there.  This is very much the case with this movie which I must have taped at the request of someone else in the family; it certainly wouldn't have been my choice since I can not relate to the mods vs. rockers theme or the music of the period.  However, it is a fine film produced by The Who and capturing the anomie of the youth of the time.  It is far from a happy film and the ending could not be more downbeat, but the need to belong to an identifiable group is something that rings true today as well as then.  The lead, Phil Daniels, is not particularly likeable, but he serves as a focus for the movie's themes and does a workmanlike job.  Sting in his first movie role is magnetic (not that I can stand the man) and there is also an early part for Ray Winstone.  A film of its time but still meaningful.