Eighties football in England was blighted by hooliganism and organised firms of violent hooligans. This is the story of Bex Bissell, leader of a football firm based loosely on West Ham's Inter City Firm, and how he tries to organise a firm to cause trouble at the 1988 European Championship.
Although it is a little dated, the film was made at the height of the yuppie era and brick like mobile phones and sharp suits predominate, The Firm's portrayal of groups of men who love violence, but in the case of Bex Bissell have respectable careers and mortgages, is accurate for the time as hooliganism had moved on from the unemployed skinhead image it had in the late seventies. Also Bissell's main rival, Birmingham hooligan Yeti, played excellently by Phil Daniels, drives around in a Volkswagen Golf GTI and wears designer clothes.
As for the violence, even now it is quite shocking, but true of the era it was made in. In one scene a young hooligan has his face slashed, in retaliation Bissell tortures the man who carried out the attack, and in the final scene, a vicious fight between Bissell and Yeti sees Bissell gunned down and killed. Also it's debatable whether some of the men have any interest in football, Yeti is seen at a match discussing violence and for all Bissell is seen playing in the opening credits, he seems more interested in his firm and the next fight than match results.
All in all The Firm is an excellent film made in the era just before football became the new rock and roll and became respectable. Look out for Steve Mc Fadden( Phil Mitchell) in a cameo and the late Terry Su Patt is excellent as Yusef, a new hooligan who gets his face slashed on his first outing with Bisell's firm.
Ironically after I posted this review, there has been hours of rioting by England fans in Marseille, which proves the problem isn't totally dead.
Although it is a little dated, the film was made at the height of the yuppie era and brick like mobile phones and sharp suits predominate, The Firm's portrayal of groups of men who love violence, but in the case of Bex Bissell have respectable careers and mortgages, is accurate for the time as hooliganism had moved on from the unemployed skinhead image it had in the late seventies. Also Bissell's main rival, Birmingham hooligan Yeti, played excellently by Phil Daniels, drives around in a Volkswagen Golf GTI and wears designer clothes.
As for the violence, even now it is quite shocking, but true of the era it was made in. In one scene a young hooligan has his face slashed, in retaliation Bissell tortures the man who carried out the attack, and in the final scene, a vicious fight between Bissell and Yeti sees Bissell gunned down and killed. Also it's debatable whether some of the men have any interest in football, Yeti is seen at a match discussing violence and for all Bissell is seen playing in the opening credits, he seems more interested in his firm and the next fight than match results.
All in all The Firm is an excellent film made in the era just before football became the new rock and roll and became respectable. Look out for Steve Mc Fadden( Phil Mitchell) in a cameo and the late Terry Su Patt is excellent as Yusef, a new hooligan who gets his face slashed on his first outing with Bisell's firm.
Ironically after I posted this review, there has been hours of rioting by England fans in Marseille, which proves the problem isn't totally dead.