The feud between Shaun and Mr. Sandhu is strikingly similar to a scene from Cracker: To Be a Somebody: Part 1 (1994) in which the main villain, Albie Kinsella (played by 'Robert Carlyle') is wronged by a Pakistani shopkeeper and later returns to the shop as a skinhead to take revenge. In both cases, the word "Paki" is used frequently and the shopkeeper is threatened with a stabbing weapon, only while Albie kills the shopkeeper with a bayonet, Combo does not kill Sandhu with his machete.
The poster on the wall (in the room in which Shaun has his hair-cut and puts on his new shirt) features six classic bands of the British Ska and 2Tone movement, and is from 1981's live vinyl album Dance Craze: The Best of British Ska...Live! The bands on the poster are Bad Manners, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, Madness, The Selecter and The Specials.
At a Q&A period following this film's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, director Shane Meadows noted that the grim skinhead influenced upbringing of the 11-year-old protagonist was a true portrayal of his own childhood and many of the events depicted were drawn from his early life.
When Shaun first meets with Woody, Milky and the other skinheads, in the tunnel after the fight at Shaun's school, you can clearly see that they've written 'Screwdriver' with spray-paint, but the group it refers to is spelt 'Skrewdriver'.
Did schools still practice corporal punishment at this time?
A
Yes, corporal punishment in British state schools was not abolished until July 1986, three years after the setting of the film.
Q
Does Milky die?
A
The movie ends with Milky still in the hospital, as far as I can tell. The only reference afterwards is when Thomas is sitting on his bed and his mum says Milky will be alright.Also, in the televison series sequel This is England 86' Milky is shown to be alive and is one of the main characters.