Entertaining but ultimately a very poor film

Rating: 4/10 (9 February 2006)

The problem with this film, from an Englishman's perspective, is that it is very badly cast. Hunnam may come across well to foreign audiences, but his accent is so laughably bad that it is impossible for anyone who recognises this fact to watch this as a serious film. The inclusion of Elijah Wood smacks of Hollywoodization and lends a further element of farce to the overall plot.
Essentially, English football hooliganism is a topic that is best left to people who know English culture well (and specifically English football culture) because otherwise you end up sacrificing authenticity.
I'm sure this film will appeal to testosterone-fueled young men, and particularly people who aren't aware of the severe factual errors that tend to crop up. If you are the sort of person who might notice these (e.g. anyone from the UK) then maybe it's best watched after a couple of beers so that you can enjoy it as one of those so-bad-that-it's-good films.