Amazon Review
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This review is for: The Football Factory
As I travelled across London in the "tube" one Saturday in the early 70's, the train stopped at a station In East Ham. To the bemusement of the existing passengers the people who boarded the cars were "fans" of the London Football team West Ham United. Characteristically these fans wore the affected uniform of the day, skinhead haircuts, rolled up jeans held up by braces, or as you would understand the term, suspenders, black crombie overcoats and the ubiquitous white t-shirt. They were off to watch their team play at home and euphemistically, for a bit of bovver, the nickname of their boots, Doctor Martens. They were loud and loutish on the train jeering and picking on anyone who was not white and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when they disembarked.
Jump forward thirty years or so and some things have changed while others have not. Football grounds have demolished the terraces and the white working class males have been usurped by the middle classes who are the only ones who can afford the seats. The manic fans have changed too. Whereas once they were mindless gangs bored out of their minds and easy prey for neo-Nazi groups, the serious troublemakers have organised the firms which charaterize some of soccer's premier league fans and who are identified by British police and deterred from following Engk=land overseas.
Whereas the story of the seventies was told in short novels with the imaginative titles of 'Skinhead' followed later by 'Suedehead' and other similar titles, today we have the Football Factory.
This is a tense, gripping story which induces a feeling of fear for the less worldly viewer. It has an all too real sense of reality about it as anyone with experience with living in a major British city will tell you. Not for the first time has a British movie shocked the viewer with such language and mindless brutality. Not for the first time has a British movie exposed the alienation of disaffected British youth, although those movies were more common in Mrs. Thatcher's day than under the Blair regime. Indeed this movie is an attack on the politics of Blair although the overt references here are subdued in volume. The tensions between the old and new generations are highlighted by the superb performance of Dudley Sutton although this was spoilt at the end when the central character awakes in a hospital bed after a major beating to find himself next to Sutton whp plays his grandfather. Given the distance between the two incidents which led them to being in the hospital in the first place it is extremely unlikely that they would have even been in the same hospital never mind the same ward.
This does not detract from the movie which feels almost like a documentary never mind a drama. The plot is rather thin given the subject matter but the result is a microcosm of the life of members of one of these firms and it is clear from my own experience that the researchers have done a very thorough job.
As a movie this is an excellent piece of work although I suspect that the civil authorities in the US will have serious reservations about it's screening and general release on DVD.
Rather as entertainment, people should understand the seriousness of the subject matter being shown on their screens. There are many lessons to be drawn on both sides of the Atlantic about the way in which our societies are developing in the light of the existance of organisations such as these. But on a cautionary note, the firms of the movie are not as widespread and football matches are not dangerous to visit, in general but the casual visitor might want to do some homework before they go to one.
Five stars.
Monday 19 April 2010
Plot
"The Football Factory" focuses on two different groups of English football supporters -- the Headhunters, who support Chelsea F.C., and the Bushwhackers, who support Millwall F.C. Throughout the movie, the Headhunters fight with other English groups such as those supporting Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Liverpool F.C., and Stoke City F.C..
The film follows Tommy Johnson (Dyer), a football hooligan in his mid 20s who has begun to question his morals and the morals of those around him. Tommy's major conflict in the film stems from his inevitable aging. Although he loves his weekend 'meets', he knows he cannot possibly play forever.
While enjoying a night out with his pal Rod, they meet a couple of young women in a bar and both end up back at one of the girls' houses. In the morning, Tommy awakes to a man sitting over him with a knife against his throat. Rod arrives at the scene, hits the man over the head with a cricket bat, and they both are able to run home alive. It then emerges that the cuckolded householder is in fact Millwall Fred's (Hassan) brother.
The remainder of the film focuses on Tommy trying to evade the Millwall gang who are seeking retribution for the attack while trying to decipher the meaning behind strange dreams that have plagued him throughout the film.
Cast
Danny Dyer — Tommy Johnson, a bored twenty something who lives for the weekend. The thrill of the big Millwall Versus Chelsea meet leaves his life scrambled as he tries to pull himself out of his nightmare.
Frank Harper — Billy Bright, is a forty something forming part of the older generation of The Firm he is full of bitterness in what he sees as the country and system that have failed him. Away from the crowds where he commands an audience to impress the younger guys, he's a sad and lonely character whose life is fast spiralling out of control.
Neil Maskell — Rod, Tommy's oldest friend and confidant, ambling along the path lead by his mates.
Roland Manookian — Zeberdee, younger breed coming through the ranks of Chelsea, his life has already run into a cul de sac of crime and drugs. With nothing to lose and no one to look out for him, Zeberdee aspires to be a future top boy, unfortunately his lack of intellectual guile get him into a lot of trouble.
Tamer Hassan — Millwall Fred, heads the rival Millwall firm an arch enemy of Chelsea, things come to ahead when Tommy inadvertently crosses path with Fred and a revenge situation begins.
Dudley Sutton — Bill Farrell, is representative of the older generation from a bygone era, a second-world war veteran in his mid seventies who lives out the remainder of his days with childhood friend Albert Moss who plan to retire in Australia.
John Junkin — Albert Moss
Jamie Foreman — Taxi Driver who is never afraid of letting his customers know his true feelings about society.
Tony Denham — Harris, the Chelsea firms head who runs it like a military operation.
Kara Tointon — Shie
Sophie Linfield — Tamara
Danny Kelly — Radio announcer
"The Football Factory" focuses on two different groups of English football supporters -- the Headhunters, who support Chelsea F.C., and the Bushwhackers, who support Millwall F.C. Throughout the movie, the Headhunters fight with other English groups such as those supporting Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Liverpool F.C., and Stoke City F.C..
The film follows Tommy Johnson (Dyer), a football hooligan in his mid 20s who has begun to question his morals and the morals of those around him. Tommy's major conflict in the film stems from his inevitable aging. Although he loves his weekend 'meets', he knows he cannot possibly play forever.
While enjoying a night out with his pal Rod, they meet a couple of young women in a bar and both end up back at one of the girls' houses. In the morning, Tommy awakes to a man sitting over him with a knife against his throat. Rod arrives at the scene, hits the man over the head with a cricket bat, and they both are able to run home alive. It then emerges that the cuckolded householder is in fact Millwall Fred's (Hassan) brother.
The remainder of the film focuses on Tommy trying to evade the Millwall gang who are seeking retribution for the attack while trying to decipher the meaning behind strange dreams that have plagued him throughout the film.
Cast
Danny Dyer — Tommy Johnson, a bored twenty something who lives for the weekend. The thrill of the big Millwall Versus Chelsea meet leaves his life scrambled as he tries to pull himself out of his nightmare.
Frank Harper — Billy Bright, is a forty something forming part of the older generation of The Firm he is full of bitterness in what he sees as the country and system that have failed him. Away from the crowds where he commands an audience to impress the younger guys, he's a sad and lonely character whose life is fast spiralling out of control.
Neil Maskell — Rod, Tommy's oldest friend and confidant, ambling along the path lead by his mates.
Roland Manookian — Zeberdee, younger breed coming through the ranks of Chelsea, his life has already run into a cul de sac of crime and drugs. With nothing to lose and no one to look out for him, Zeberdee aspires to be a future top boy, unfortunately his lack of intellectual guile get him into a lot of trouble.
Tamer Hassan — Millwall Fred, heads the rival Millwall firm an arch enemy of Chelsea, things come to ahead when Tommy inadvertently crosses path with Fred and a revenge situation begins.
Dudley Sutton — Bill Farrell, is representative of the older generation from a bygone era, a second-world war veteran in his mid seventies who lives out the remainder of his days with childhood friend Albert Moss who plan to retire in Australia.
John Junkin — Albert Moss
Jamie Foreman — Taxi Driver who is never afraid of letting his customers know his true feelings about society.
Tony Denham — Harris, the Chelsea firms head who runs it like a military operation.
Kara Tointon — Shie
Sophie Linfield — Tamara
Danny Kelly — Radio announcer
Tuesday 23 March 2010
The Football Factory (2004)
What else you gonna do on a Saturday?
Starring:
Danny Dyer
Dudley Sutton
Frank Harper
Jamie Foreman
Neil Maskell
Roland Manookian
Tamer Hassan
Directed by:
Nick Love
Rating: 3/10
Running Time: 93 minutes
Certificate: UK: 18
Country: United Kingdom
Let the title fool you at your peril – ‘The Football Factory’ is a film that has absolutely nothing to do with football. You won’t see a blade of grass, a ball, or a set of goals anywhere within its 93 minutes. Neither, for that matter, will you see a waving scarf, a steaming hot cup of Bovril, or the inside of a stadium – so you couldn’t even accurately describe it as a film about football supporters.
No, ‘The Football Factory’ is about one thing and one thing only: hooligans. Sure, they’re hooligans who attach themselves to one English football club or another (in this case Chelsea). But, if they’re also football supporters, it’s certainly not something writer-director Nick Love has any interest in. After all, at no point in the film is football even spoken about. Okay, so there’s a bit where one of our main hoolies (Frank Harper) is glued to the live TV coverage of the draw for the next round of the FA Cup – but even that turns out to be only so he can mark into his diary whose face he’s going to be kicking the snot out of next.
Adapted from the novel by Nick Love (just one of countless pieces of football thug-friendly literature to have sprung up over the past few years), we’re taken through a couple of weeks in the life of Tommy (Danny Dyer). He’s a fully paid-up member of a Chelsea “Firm”, and justifies his way of life by rambling on about the importance of “making a difference.” Exactly what he’s making a difference to, other than the queue at his local casualty, is never quite explained. Nonetheless, he’s part of a lower-middle-class sub-culture that makes him feel both big AND clever – until a couple of scary dreams cause him to vaguely question the worth of it all, that is.
You’ve got to hand it to Love – he’s assembled a convincing band of Guy Ritchie cast-off types, and his scenes of inner-city street warfare are frighteningly realistic. But there’s no discernable plotline, no form of redemption for any of our characters, and nobody for the right-thinking viewer to side with. Yup, there’s a moral lesson thrown in for our lead protagonist, but it never looks like it’s been included as anything more than a minor afterthought in an extremely weak effort to justify the film’s existence. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is a film that revels in its subject matter, which can only bring me to the conclusion that it’s not only about hooligans – it’s also aimed squarely at them. If you’re one of them, you’ll probably love it. Who doesn’t love being told exactly what they want to hear?
It's Got: Frank Harper doing a Cockney tribute to Joe Pesci’s Tommy De Vito from ‘Goodfellas’.
It Needs: To be associated with football about as much as football needs to be associated with it.
What else you gonna do on a Saturday?
Starring:
Danny Dyer
Dudley Sutton
Frank Harper
Jamie Foreman
Neil Maskell
Roland Manookian
Tamer Hassan
Directed by:
Nick Love
Rating: 3/10
Running Time: 93 minutes
Certificate: UK: 18
Country: United Kingdom
Let the title fool you at your peril – ‘The Football Factory’ is a film that has absolutely nothing to do with football. You won’t see a blade of grass, a ball, or a set of goals anywhere within its 93 minutes. Neither, for that matter, will you see a waving scarf, a steaming hot cup of Bovril, or the inside of a stadium – so you couldn’t even accurately describe it as a film about football supporters.
No, ‘The Football Factory’ is about one thing and one thing only: hooligans. Sure, they’re hooligans who attach themselves to one English football club or another (in this case Chelsea). But, if they’re also football supporters, it’s certainly not something writer-director Nick Love has any interest in. After all, at no point in the film is football even spoken about. Okay, so there’s a bit where one of our main hoolies (Frank Harper) is glued to the live TV coverage of the draw for the next round of the FA Cup – but even that turns out to be only so he can mark into his diary whose face he’s going to be kicking the snot out of next.
Adapted from the novel by Nick Love (just one of countless pieces of football thug-friendly literature to have sprung up over the past few years), we’re taken through a couple of weeks in the life of Tommy (Danny Dyer). He’s a fully paid-up member of a Chelsea “Firm”, and justifies his way of life by rambling on about the importance of “making a difference.” Exactly what he’s making a difference to, other than the queue at his local casualty, is never quite explained. Nonetheless, he’s part of a lower-middle-class sub-culture that makes him feel both big AND clever – until a couple of scary dreams cause him to vaguely question the worth of it all, that is.
You’ve got to hand it to Love – he’s assembled a convincing band of Guy Ritchie cast-off types, and his scenes of inner-city street warfare are frighteningly realistic. But there’s no discernable plotline, no form of redemption for any of our characters, and nobody for the right-thinking viewer to side with. Yup, there’s a moral lesson thrown in for our lead protagonist, but it never looks like it’s been included as anything more than a minor afterthought in an extremely weak effort to justify the film’s existence. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is a film that revels in its subject matter, which can only bring me to the conclusion that it’s not only about hooligans – it’s also aimed squarely at them. If you’re one of them, you’ll probably love it. Who doesn’t love being told exactly what they want to hear?
It's Got: Frank Harper doing a Cockney tribute to Joe Pesci’s Tommy De Vito from ‘Goodfellas’.
It Needs: To be associated with football about as much as football needs to be associated with it.
The Football Factory is a 2004 English film directed by Nick Love and stars Danny Dyer and Frank Harper. It is based on the novel of the same name by John King.
The film is the first foray into film-making by video game producers Rockstar Games, credited as Executive Producers.
In 2004, Chelsea F.C. football supporters' fanzine cfcuk produced a special edition - "cfcuk - The Football Factory" to coincide with the release of the film.
Tuesday 2 March 2010
Wednesday 3 February 2010
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