They're ten, you can teach'em anything you want

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2010)

The first thing I should say is that I can't stand the sport(with that said, the footage of it in this actually was exciting... that goes to show the immense talent involved in bringing this to the screen). Being Danish, I'm (seemingly) in the minority here in the country. I avoided this film like the plague for years. Days ago, I watched Punisher: War Zone. The next chance I got, I picked this up on sale. That was yesterday. I think that should give you an idea of how badly I wanted to see more stuff by Lexi Alexander. I was not disappointed. She has this ability to take us into a dangerous environment and somehow make the violence in it brutal, bloody and terrifying, without the audience checking out of the movie, and without entirely abandoning the hard, unpleasant reality that it lives in all of us, and it can be temporarily satisfying to give into it. She walks this balance flawlessly with both of these. The fight sequences are swiftly cut, like sharpened blades. They disturb and unsettle us with the sense that it will not end well, and yet we find ourselves strangely drawn to it. No two are alike, and nothing in this is gratuitous. This puts us in the hooligan subculture, and, through the lead, we find ourselves feeling at home there, comfortable, well-liked. The acting is excellent. Wood, Hunnam, and really, everyone in this delivers an impeccable performance, including the children. This keeps to a solid pace, with a lot of energy to any scene that requires it, and it never stands still. There is plenty of humor in this, and it should not be thought of as only a negative look at hooliganism. This understands it, and helps us to, as well. Note that there is British slang and accents in this(thank goodness for subtitles). The plot is engaging, well-told and smart. There are a few clichés, particularly in the last half, but it contains numerous surprises, as well, and there is a feeling that we can't be sure what to expect. This reiterates an age-old point(that remains vital), and does so without seeming tired or preachy: An eye for an eye leaves the world blind. The characters are well-written, memorable, credible, and well-developed, and, like everything else in this, psychologically accurate. All of the music is fitting and well-chosen. There is a ton of strong language in this, in addition to what I've already described. The DVD comes with trailers for six other pictures and this. I recommend this to anyone interested in the subject. 8/10