Pete Postlethwaite is moving as the bandleader, whose dream of taking his players to compete at the Albert Hall nearly eclipses his appreciation of the dire issues they face.

"Brassed Off" is about as sloppy as it gets, but for nearly two-thirds of the movie the gushiness is pretty much kept in check. And those two thirds are quite a treat.

It survives through its never-failing sense of humour and the fact that by its loving depiction of alternative values -- of warmth and community -- to the ones it assaults, you feel it has earned the right to turn attacker.

Brassed Off' should not be missed.