The elephant in the room.

Rating: 6/10 (5 July 2007)

First off, I don't mind if a movie does not have a "message"---I don't think it needs to, and frequently very good movies don't.
That said, I cannot help feeling that this movie tried to convey a message, and that that message is complete and utter nonsense.
An innocent intellectual American kid gets involved with a bunch of British hooligans, and learns a number of character lessons, stuff about standing up for yourself and knowing when to walk away etc. So far so good.
But what about the biggest lesson in all of this, the big elephant in the room that does not seem to get a lot of attention from either the movie nor its main character---viz. that these people are hurting, maiming, and killing each other for no reason whatsoever, other than their misguided fanaticism for groups of entertainment millionaires, an adolescent sense of pride, and apparently an utter lack of anything actually worthwhile to do with their time and energy instead? As I said, I didn't necessarily expected the movie to go on moralizing about this, but seeing it glorify this total waste of time, energy, attention, and life was somewhat annoying. Senseless, idiotic violence perpetrated to the tune of fast-paced pop music? I am afraid this ain't no A Clockword Orange, and Lexi Alexander ain't no Kubrick, either.
The scene that to me sums up the intellectual failing of this movie is the following. One guy, who "raised his son to be a pit bull", who brought that teenage son to these fights with other gangs of hooligans, and whose son got killed in one of them, harbors this deep grudge against the leader of the gang they fought while his son got killed. I guess everyone here would see some suboptimal parenting skills as at least partially responsible for the young man's fate---had he not been born to this moronic thug whose main pastime was getting into fights with others like him etc.
At some point, another character points out to him that his son's death is his own fault. You think: "Finally someone says it." Unfortunately, he then follows it up with his personal analysis of the father thug's failing---he did not protect his son enough during the fight. Sigh.
Anyway, despite the somewhat inadequate central thesis that seems to underpin the movie, it's actually quite enjoyable. The acting is great all around, but to me Charlie Hunnam absolutely steals the show. Not only is he stunningly good-looking, he plays the role of the gang leader with incredible charm and complexity---if you had to be beaten up by a hooligan, it should be one like that. The film-making is more than adequate---screenwriter, photographer, and director do their best to make the actors shine, as is their job. From that perspective it's a decent movie, in spite of its other shortcomings.