The trailer provides context about the time period and characters in the film through various shots and dialogue clips. It begins by establishing the director and era through title design. Quick cuts of historical footage from 1983 set the time period while introducing the protagonist, Shaun, an outsider who is bullied. Shaun meets older boys who befriend him, and he changes his style to fit in as a skinhead. However, his new friend Combo becomes a bad influence, and Shaun gets increasingly involved in racism and crime over the course of the film, as shown through escalating violence and tension in shots edited to the soundtrack. Reviews praise the film's gritty portrayal of struggles in 1980s England.