A boy, John McGill, gets a rough start on his education when a much older boy threatens him. Fearing for his life, he enlists the aid of his older brother, Benny, who can take care of business, and does. From this moment on, everything starts to get worse. Soon John finds himself part of a gang, nearly killing another boy (boys really), but it gets worse. One day he even beats his father (I think, or maybe his uncle) and then he is forced to live on the streets.
There is definitely violence in this movie, but not so much as one would expect, and it's not so pointless as one could fear. John is as much a victim himself, as a bully, and if we feel sad for his victims, we must also feel sad for him. His life could have turned out much different, but a single event changed his life forever. However, that doesn't mean that he can't, if he wish to do the work, change it back.
Last words... don't worry, there is a great lesson to be learned from this movie, so don't miss out. The very last image will haunt you forever...