Worth seeing, but not without problems

Rating: 7/10 (3 December 2011)

Interesting, well made, if flawed exploration of the British culture of gang warfare based around football (soccer in the US) teams.
These aren't random crazies, but organized 'firms' as they call themselves that engage in frequent hand to hand combat for the sheer testosterone/adrenaline rush, and for the feeling of community, of belonging. It's a fascinating world and raises important question about the violence inherent in men.
When nerdy Elijah Wood comes to England over to visit his sister after being expelled from Harvard, he quickly falls in with a gang, and much to his shock and ours finds that he is turned on by participating in the violence.
The problems: first of all, it's hard to buy that Wood would survive long. Even with enthusiasm he's undersized and under muscled. His moments in the many (and well staged) fight scenes never feel as real as those around him.
The Harvard set up that gets Wood to England feels clumsy, hard to believe and over-the- top.
The third act has more than it's share of Hollywood-style plot turns for a film that sports a semi-documentary feel.
Last, I have a question the film's point of view about the violence, which seems to be 'it's OK if it doesn't go too far'. As one character says about another's death, without irony. 'It taught me there's a time to stand your ground and a time to walk away.' But is it ever time to stand your ground to kick the crap out of others and have them kick the crap out of you over a football team?