The rucks have a grim, handheld intimacy which shows how clumsy, ugly and bloody terrifying a mass brawl can be. This is definitely not a glorification of the hooligan’s life (and, to be fair, neither was Love’s similarly-themed The Football Factory). Alarmed at the escalation of violence, Dom decides he wants out – but Bex has other ideas.
THE FIRM 2009 FILM SERIES
At a summit meeting with rival firms, Bex and his arch-enemy The Yeti (Daniel Mays) agree that the winners of a series of ‘meets’ can lead the English hoolie contingent to the 1988 European Championships.Ī day trip to Portsmouth for a clash with the ‘farmers’ gives Dom his first taste of orchestrated aggro, but a confrontation with the Yeti’s mob ends in disaster when they arrive tooled-up and easily see off their unarmed opponents.īex becomes obsessed with revenge and is determined to fight fire with fire next time. He hangs around with the firm more and more, aping Bex’s obsession with ‘looking right’ to a ludicrous degree the film certainly bigs up a few well-known leisurewear and trainer manufacturers, though they may not regard the sporting of their wares by characters like these as ideal publicity.īut the lifestyle isn’t all clothes shopping and hanging out - the firm’s raison d’etre is havin’ a ruck and Bex is obsessed with them being the top dogs. After a gruesome initiation (Dom’s main appearance in the original) he’s accepted by Bex’s cohorts – though he’s constantly the butt of jokes from the well-off, well nasty Trigger (Doug Allen), Bex’s chief lieutenant.ĭom feels a sense of belonging and empowerment missing from life with his aimless mates and loving but unambitious parents (Eddie Webber and Camille Coduri). Impressed, Bex takes Dom under his wing, inviting him to join his five-a-side team and join the firm in their next outing. When Terry insults Bex at a local nightclub (and gets summary justice by headbutt dispensed on him) Bex declares both boys ‘marked’ - and Dom plucks up the courage to visit Bex’s local and apologise in person. The estate is dominated by Bex (Paul Anderson) – a prosperous estate agent by day who is also the leader of the local hooligan ‘firm’. His life revolves around dodging work as his dad’s apprentice, breakdancing in the underpasses (this is the Eighties, remember – don’t tell me you didn’t try it at least once!) and scoring cheap dope with his mate Terry (Billy Seymour). Dom (Calum MacNab) is a bright but bored lad living on a run-down estate. It makes a radical departure from the original by focusing on one of the supporting characters. The Firm is a warm and funny, though darkly-tinged, tale of a boy’s coming of age and the perils of picking charismatic but dangerous figures as your role models for adulthood. I was expecting a stylish but empty retread that added nothing to the original – so it’s a pleasure to admit I was completely wrong. Plus there’s a worrying trend in some accounts of (and commentary on) soccer violence to paint the perpetrators as working-class heroes asserting a proud rebellious streak.Īdded to that is the fact that Love is, for the first time, doing a remake – of one of the most powerful and critically-acclaimed television films of all time, directed by the legendary Alan Clarke ( Scum, Made In Britain et al) and starring a young Gary Oldman in one of his breakthrough roles. The problem of recreating the visceral adrenalin rush of any violence, and mob violence in particular, without making it seem glamorous and exciting, is an age-old one and many directors have fallen into the trap. His last film, Outlaw, received decidedly mixed reviews, with some critics accusing it of glorifying vigilantism.
THE FIRM 2009 FILM MOVIE
While undoubtedly a gifted cinematic storyteller, Love has sometimes been guilty of buying into the ‘geezer chic’ lifestyle he depicts (most notably in his calling card movie The Business). I’ll admit to coming to this film with some trepidation. But as Bex and his gang clash with rival firms across the country and the violence spirals out of control, Dom realizes he wants out - until he learns it's not that easy to simply walk away.The grim images of crowd violence at the recent Carling Cup tie between West Ham and Millwall were a reminder that social ills like football hooliganism are far from dead and buried – and make the release of Love’s take on the darkest days of Saturday afternoon ‘meets’ sadly timely. Accepted by the gang for his fast mouth and sense of humor, Dom soon becomes one the boys. Set in the 1980s, Dom is a teenager who finds himself drawn into the charismatic world of football 'casuals,influenced by the firm's top boy, Bex.