Quadrophenia 1979

In 1964, in London, a young mod named Jimmy Cooper, Phil Daniels feels stifled by his parents and a dull job as a post-room boy at an advertising firm. He channels his teenage angst into a loud mix of amphetamines, parties, scooter rides, and clashes with rival rockers, supported by his close-knit mod circle: Dave, Mark Wingett; Chalky, Phil Davis; and Spider, Gary Shail.

A brutal altercation leaves Jimmy’s childhood friend Kevin, one of the rival rockers, badly injured after an attack by hostile rockers on Spider. Jimmy initially takes part but, upon realizing Kevin is the victim, he scolds the others yet does not intervene directly, choosing instead to ride away on his scooter and vent his frustration with a loud cycle of revving engines.

The plot accelerates during a planned bank holiday weekend in a seaside town, Brighton, which becomes the stage for an escalating rivalry between mods and rockers. Jimmy hopes to stand out as a “face” and hints to Steph, a girl he admires, that she should ride with him. Steph, however, confirms she will ride with Pete, an older, well-heeled mod.

To afford their weekend, the friends try to buy recreational drugs from a London gangster, Harry North, only to be cheated with fake pills. After retaliating by vandalizing the drug dealer’s car, they steal a large quantity of their preferred “blues” from a pharmacy. They then set off on a long ride from London to the south coast, gathering on the seafront where Jimmy first spots a flamboyant scooter-riding mod he dubs Ace Face.

In a bustling dance hall, Jimmy plans to help Steph by guiding her to dance with Ace Face, but Ace Face moves in and dances with the American girl himself, forcing Steph to leave Jimmy. He attempts to win attention by climbing to the balcony edge for a moment of applause, only to be booed by the crowd and ejected by bouncers when he dives back into the audience. Steph ends up leaving with her escort, and the mood among the group shifts.

The gang spends the night sleeping rough and reconvenes at a café the next morning, then parades along the promenade, where running confrontations continue. The police close in on the rioters; Jimmy escapes with Steph, and they have sex right as police detain the rioters. Jimmy is arrested and placed in a holding cell with Ace Face, where he is fined a hefty £75—about £1,900 in 2023—while Ace Face mocks the magistrate by promising to pay on the spot with a cheque, a display that earns the respect of the other mods.

Back in London, a deep sense of despair takes hold. Jimmy’s mother throws him out after finding his stash of pills, and he quits his job, spends his severance on more drugs, and learns that Steph has become Dave’s girlfriend. After a brief fight with Dave, he discovers Steph’s new status and returns to his life’s downward spiral, with his Lambretta scooter damaged in a collision with a Royal Mail parcel van. He travels back to Brighton with a growing habit of pills and a shakier sense of direction.

Lonely and uncertain of his future, he revisits the riot sites and his encounter with Steph, only to discover that Ace Face is now working a lowly job as a bellboy at the Grand hotel. Jimmy steals Ace’s Vespa and rides toward Beachy Head, hoping to reclaim a moment of happiness in the sun. For a time he seems to savor the ride, but the moment darkens as he stares down at the sea in quiet misery. The scooter eventually crashes over the cliff’s edge, echoing the opening scene of a man walking away at sunset, completing the arc of a young life teetering between exhilaration and despair.