Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the genre, 4 Jan 2007
Compelling story of Yuppie hoolie Bex (a moustached Gary Oldman) and his battle with rival top boy Yeti (a pony-tailed Phil Davis) to lead England's firm at their next European awayday.
Directed by the much missed Alan Clarke, a specialist in gritty, hard hitting, realistic drama; this film (supported by the BBC) made headlines at the time for exposing the myth that all football hooligans postcarded their violent intentions by dressing like boot boys, scarves on wrists and all. The irony of the sight of lads fighting in the latest designer gear was completely lost on the majority of middle England at the time.
The main character Bex is a smart, intelligent, respectable married man in a good job who's pastime is leading a crew known as the ICC (sic ICF?) at the weekends; a true product of Thatcher's Britain.
His wife (Oldman's real wife back then, Lesley Manville) is semi-oblivious to his exploits, although he is ably egged on by his admiring working-class dad.
Various well-known faces past and present crop up throughout the film, and there's a bit of a soap theme as Corrie's Jim McDonald and EastEnders' Phil Mitchell join in for the rucks and a bit of cockney banter.
The characters are far more believable than those in the current crop of hoolie films, yes even more than "The Football Factory" so beloved of the Loaded/FHM brigade out there. The scene where Bex lays into one of his own new boys, when he doubts he has the stomach to stand and fight when it matters, is very difficult to watch; control through the threat of fear is the priority in the mind of the hardened thug.
People who complain the film isn't violent enough are completely missing the point, it doesn't need to be graphic, the film is portraying why this guy Bex chooses to be who he is. The most important thing in his life is being a top boy and the ability to walk tall on his own patch. He wants people to fear him, that's his escapism. Even his own wife fails to grasp the nettle as to why he does it; "I need the buzz" he explains to her, "Then buy a bloody beehive then", she retorts angrily.
Oldman excels in the lead role, and there are some excellent scenes of almost uncontrollable rage; whether it is having a private moment testing out his baton on an unsuspecting pillow, a surprise visit to a rivals boozer, or testing the bottle of a new boy.
Compelling; remember this character sells houses for a living, would you invite him around for a valuation on your gaff?
I like "The Football Factory" it has humour and they're all cheeky cockney Jack the Lads and all that, but "The Firm" for me is the better film, it tells it like it is, and there is nothing humorous about this dark tale. One scene nagged me afterwards though, did I really see Bex actually pay for his rail tickets? Any serious jibber would have had a good laugh at that one.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still the Best, 18 Jan 2006
The Firm is still by far and away the best of the "Hooligan" genre. Gary Oldman's performance as Bex is truly disturbing and you are genuinely scared of running into this guy. Bit dated now but still a top film
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good , 4 Jul 2006
For a film made in the late 1980's and for the BBC, you cant really expect a hard hitting film like Green Street, its not that kind of film, but it is very hard hitting if you have the patience to watch it several times which i had the pleasure of doing.
Gary Oldman is perfect for this role, once again this man shoes his versatility with a role which was so well suited for him, its scary.
This film shows what being a hardcore football fan can do to a mans family, Bex (Oldman) has a respectable job of being an estate agent, which is why its such a shock when you see him fighting all these guys, and hes not afraid to stand up to many.
I borrowed this film and instantly bought it myself, just so its in my collection, if you want a truly good Football Violent film, thats not mainstream, and focus's more on the other side to football violence, that is, what it can do in your home, BUY IT NOW.
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