Review of Green Street Hooligans (2005) by Dustin G — 18 Apr 2010

A very involving, hard nosed, original movie with a visceral, frenetic style during the soccer (sorry, football) and fight scenes and chock full of that great, authentic London slang I love so much.

I also loved this story and the way it's told. People in Canada and the U.S. might not know or have heard much about these 'firms' in England, but they're real and in some cases, they're brutal. This movie showcases a couple of the brutal ones.

Elijah Wood was good in the Lord of the Rings movies and in Eternal Sunshine, but here he just wasn't the best choice for the role. I can think of a few biggish name actors who would've done much better. Then again, maybe the filmmakers needed a recognizable name and Elijah Wood was the only one who wanted to do it. Who knows. The supporting cast is great and sells their characters well.

The movie moves at a great pace towards it's final, bloody battle in the streets and asks 'what's the point?' as countless street life films have asked before. So in that way the message is nothing new, but the the way it's told, for the most part at least, in this case is.

Amazing movie.