Hooligans (2005)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Lexi Alexander

Writers:

Lexi Alexander (story) &
Dougie Brimson (story) ...

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Stand Your Ground And Fight.

Plot:

A wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of football hooliganism.

Plot Keywords:

West Ham | Fight | Hooliganism | Hooligan | Reputation

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Elijah Wood	...	Matt Buckner
Charlie Hunnam	...	Pete Dunham
David Alexander	...	Nigel
Oliver Allison	...	Ben Dunham
James Allison	...	Ben Dunham
Geoff Bell	...	Tommy Hatcher
Joel Beckett	...	Terry
Kieran Bew	...	Ike
David Carr	...	Clive
Andrew Blair	...	Announcer
Brendan Charleson	...	John Morris
Scott Christie	...	Millwall Lad / Ricky
Alec Dalman	...	Security Guard
Claire Forlani	...	Shannon Dunham
Jacob Gaffney	...	Todd

Also Known As:

Football Hooligans (Singapore: English title)
Green Street (UK)
Green Street Hooligans (USA) (new title)
The Yank (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal violence, pervasive language and some drug use.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:16 | Mexico:C | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:16 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Australia:MA | Hungary:18 | USA:R (certificate #41109) | Portugal:M/16 | France:-16 | UK:18 | Ireland:18

Filming Locations:

Bank Underground Station, London, England, UK

Company:

Baker Street

Trivia:

Terence Jay, who plays Jermey Van Holden, also performs the song 'oneblood' that plays during the final fight scene.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The station called 'Bank' in the film is actually 'Mile End'. Bank is in central London and no where near West Ham FC. Mile End is actually closer and a more relevant station to have used.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pete Dunham: Fuck me. If I knew we was going to a bar mitzvah, I would have brought me fuckin' skull cap. Mate, Tottenham's due north. Are you lost? Or just fucking stupid?

Movie Connections:

References The Karate Kid (1984)

Soundtrack:

A No Win Situation

A personal transformation through the culture of sport

Hopefully this film will not be limited in its reception as a "sport" film, and more disparagingly in America as a "soccer" film. It is much more than either distinction, for it portrays the transformational awakening of a young man as he becomes proactive rather than reactive about life.

This transition occurs within the often misunderstood culture of "football hooligans", hordes of zealous football fans who display a jingoistic allegiance to their teams and the locale from which they hail. The insight provided into this world reveals more than gang triviality for these men do not compete for the sake of criminal enterprise or the carnal spoils of women. Their skirmishes, often times brutal, are for stake in a sense of pride that reminds us that athletes put glory in our sport, but for some fans, glory is the sport. That pride, as it is conveyed, does well to offset the characterization of drunken recklessness that could easily be assessed to "hooliganism".

I highly recommend this film --- it's not "soccer". It's awakening to self.