My Name Is Lenny Review – Absolutely Brutal and Unmissable (100% Raw East End Chaos)
📊 QUICK STATS
- Title: My Name Is Lenny
- Release Year: 2017
- Genre: Biographical Drama
- Directed by: Ron Scalpello
- Starring: Josh Helman, Chanel Cresswell, Michael Bisping, George Russo
- Runtime: 91 minutes
- Based on: The life of Lenny McLean
- Streaming on: [Add where it’s streaming here]
- Tagline: “If you lived like Lenny, you’d be dead by 30.”
🚀 My Name Is Lenny Review
In this My Name Is Lenny review we will talk about everything. I don’t think we need an introduction to who Lenny McLean is — but for you Martians who don’t know, I shall give you a brief introduction. This movie is centred around Lenny’s so-called life and the boxing match he had with Roy Shaw.
Now in this movie, he says Roy Shaw is nothing — and you know what? A man who can make such a statement like that must be a real hard nut. Because Roy Shaw was one of the hardest men in Britain and certainly wasn’t “nothing” — well, not to the average man. To put it in simple terms, even the Kray twins didn’t mess with him, but is it worth watching you better believe it is I recommend this movie 100%
🧠 Plot Recap (Spoiler-Free)
My Name Is Lenny dives into the chaotic life of Lenny McLean, East End brawler, bare-knuckle legend, and pub enforcer. We get a wild ride through his upbringing, personal demons, and infamous rivalry with Roy Shaw — all building to that iconic fight. The film leans into Lenny’s rage, trauma, and street justice reputation while blurring the line between legend and truth.
🎮 What I Like
- Film starts out strong — of course Lenny being in a fight while drinking a pint and singing Crazy by Patsy Cline. Even if you don’t know who Lenny is, in about the first 30 seconds of the movie you will see he’s a man you do not want to mess with.
- You can clearly see Lenny had emotional and physical abuse from his stepfather — always shouting at him and calling himself the Governor.
- I love how they cast Josh Helman as Lenny. Let’s stack them up: Josh’s height is 6ft2, Lenny McLean was 6ft3. So not much difference. I don’t know the exact weight Josh was when he filmed My Name Is Lenny, but I hear he had to put weight on — though he still didn’t look as big as the real Lenny McLean.
- Love how Lenny says to his fictional cousin Carrots: “Gloves are for poofs.”
Fun fact: Carrots was played by EastEnders star Patsy Palmer’s son, Charley Palmer. - The cast is fantastic in this. We even see George Russo — who’s that, you ask? Well, you might know him better as Basildon Joe from Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins — and UFC fighter Michael Bisping as Roy Shaw.
- Love how Lenny is like the local one-man army. If someone steps out of line on his manor, he always steps in and helps. I believe it’s because he hates bullies — like his stepdad. But saying that, the more the movie goes on and the more he drinks… he also becomes a bit of a bully.
- One noticeable scene was when someone called Trevor was selling some dodgy gear — Lenny didn’t take kindly to that and gave him a warning.
He also sorts out pissheads who knock on their ex’s door at 3am. - I find it very interesting how Lenny’s stepfather called himself the Governor — and that’s also Roy Shaw’s boxing name. So… does Lenny see Roy like he saw his dad?
- Love the fight scenes in this movie. I think they’re done very well — and if this is how Lenny could fight in real life? Then yeah, I wouldn’t mess with him unless I had a death wish.
- You can clearly see this is not a true depiction of Lenny McLean’s life. There’s a lot of comical aspects in the film — with quotes like “He breaks bricks with his nut” — that one had me laughing.
- You can see even from the beginning that Lenny is unstable, but as the film goes on it really does show you how dangerous and unpredictable he really is. And having a daily dose of booze? That never helps.
- Madness scenes in this movie — Lenny went way too far on someone and really hurt them. But was it all his fault? I’m going to say no. We know this man’s unstable. So when Lenny tries to walk away but is pushed into it, he’s going to snap.
- I find it funny how some people don’t realise how hard Lenny is. They’re just like, “McLean’s here? Send down some men.”
Well mate, unless you have an entire army, I wouldn’t bother.
If you can imagine a man who will take on five blokes and still play a round of pool with a knife in his leg, then yeah… I wouldn’t mess with a man like that. - So, Lenny in this movie went toe to toe with an ex-pro boxer Roy Shaw — but he didn’t even know how to box at the time. But well, he had to learn. Now for me, that’s mental. Shows how fearless — and how street tough — Lenny is.
- I didn’t understand one thing. I think Lenny had a brother who got killed — not sure it was mentioned. I’m sure ChatGPT can fact check this.
- Loved it at the end of the movie when it finished with real-life footage of Lenny talking to the camera, saying his thing.
- Bit confusing to me, but after the movie ended it was confirmed that Tony Carrots was in fact Lenny’s cousin.
❌ What I Don’t Like
- I don’t like how they make characters up. Carrots in the cast on Google says “Carrots McLean” — I assume a cousin or some relative. In the movie, it does say fictional and he’s never actually confirmed how he’s related. They just refer to him as Lenny’s best mate.
👩🎓 Cast & Performances – MVPs & Misfires
- Josh Helman nails the role emotionally, but physically? Close, but not quite the real Lenny’s size.
- Michael Bisping brings proper menace as Roy Shaw.
- Charley Palmer delivers cheeky charm as Carrots — fictional or not, he fits the East End vibe.
- George Russo is a standout for fans of gritty British crime flicks.
🎞️ Visuals & Direction
Ron Scalpello goes for that dirty, smoky, pub-fight grit. It’s raw, chaotic, and suits the story. It never glamorises the violence — it lets you feel it.
🎵 Sound & Mood (with Track Highlights)
- Opening with “Crazy” by Patsy Cline while Lenny smashes someone in the face? 10/10 mood setting.
- The soundtrack backs the chaos — old-school, moody, and laced with East End punch.
✅ What Works / ❌ What Falls Flat
✅ Fight scenes
✅ Casting and East End setting
✅ Lenny’s inner demons and raw personality
❌ Fictional characters like Carrots feel underexplained
❌ Not always clear what’s real and what’s dramatized
💬 Fan Buzz & Critical Noise
Some fans love it as a brutal tribute to the legend. Others criticise it for bending truth and mixing in too much style over substance. It’s cult-status among those who love Brit-crime films — especially the Footsoldier crowd.
🕵️♂️ Fact vs Fiction – What’s Real About Lenny McLean?
- Carrots McLean? Fictional. In real life, Lenny did have a cousin known as Tony Carrots, but it’s unclear if he played the same role seen here.
- Roy Shaw rivalry? 100% real. Lenny did fight him and it was a massive deal in unlicensed boxing history.
- Lenny’s father figure issues? Very real — he suffered abuse as a kid.
- The ending fight and sudden boxing success? Compressed and stylized. He did learn fast, but not as sudden as shown.
- The pub fights and wild antics? Some of them are based on stories Lenny himself told — but even Lenny loved a good tall tale.
💀 Lenny McLean Cause of Death – What Really Happened?
Lenny McLean died on 28 July 1998, aged just 49. At first, he thought he was battling a bad case of the flu or maybe pleurisy — but it turned out to be far worse. A chest X-ray revealed he had lung cancer, and by the time doctors caught it, the disease had already spread to his brain. He was given treatment, but the cancer moved fast, and Lenny didn’t make it.
He passed away just weeks before Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was released — the very film that would introduce him to a global audience. The movie was later dedicated to him, but he never got to see the cultural impact it would make or the mythos it helped cement around his name.
This is the gut-punch most people don’t know. Lenny wasn’t taken down in a bare-knuckle fight or by some rival — he was taken out by cancer. The so-called “hardest man in Britain” was finally brought low by something no fists could fix. It’s a cruel twist to a brutal life, and it adds real weight to the legacy shown in My Name Is Lenny — a reminder that even the toughest can fall, and that legacy isn’t just about how you fight… but how you’re remembered.
🤔 Should You Stream It? My Honest Review
If you love gritty British true crime with fists flying and pint glasses smashing — stream it now. If you’re looking for a proper biography that lays out every fact? Maybe look elsewhere. But for raw character, East End madness, and a deep dive into one of the wildest figures in UK underground history… My Name Is Lenny packs a wallop.
📺 Where to Watch My Name Is Lenny
❓ FAQ – My Name Is Lenny
Is My Name Is Lenny based on a true story?
Yes, it’s based on the life of Lenny McLean — but heavily dramatized.
Did Lenny McLean really fight Roy Shaw?
Yes — it was a brutal, real-life rivalry.
Who plays Lenny McLean in the movie?
Josh Helman, best known from Mad Max: Fury Road and X-Men films.
🔊 Best Scenes & Moments (Spoiler-Light)
- That opening pub brawl with Crazy playing in the background.
- Lenny’s standoff with Trevor.
- The big final fight with Roy Shaw.
- The real Lenny footage at the end — chilling and brilliant.
🎞️ Check Out the Trailer
⭐ The Hub Score – Should You Stream It?
Stream Scene Hub Score: 9/10
Gritty, violent, messy — and a must for fans of true crime chaos.
Not always accurate, but never boring.
💬 Let’s Chat
What did you think of My Name Is Lenny? Was it too over the top or just the right amount of guv’nor madness? Hit the comments or message me on socials — I wanna hear your take.
👉 Check out my other review:
If you like this movie then why not check out a similar movie I reviewed Marching Powder
