Graphic, thought-provoking and worth seeing.

Rating: 6/10 (18 June 2006)

I was encouraged to see this film by reading some of the more effusive IMDb comments. Well, it isn't as good as they led me to believe. But I certainly don't regret seeing it.
If you live in the UK you know about football hooliganism. Even if (like me) you don't go to football matches, you can't avoid it. It's a part of our culture, sadly. Football is a hugely emotional game, which large parts of society take very seriously. And - when fuelled by alcohol and a trouble-making minority - this does occasionally does spill over into violence and gang warfare.
It is very very very rare - and that's an important point to make to anyone overseas who may be inclined to believe the problem is worse than it is. But it happens. And the value of a film like this is to help portray that and even perhaps understand why.
The more complimentary reviewers of this film all make this point, and they are right. They are also right that the film is well-made and atmospheric. The violence is shockingly realistic without being glamourised, and we see also the camaraderie and enjoyment that attracts people to being part of such gangs in the first place. We are left at the end of the film feeling we have witnessed something that must be quite close to the true experience of being part of the world portrayed.
Where the film falls down is in the performances. There are some decent actors here, but none of them are allowed to shine. It is almost as if the bleak concept of the movie discourages any enjoyment of playing their roles and so squeezes out the possibility that we can truly sympathise with any of the characters.
Elijah Wood is, ultimately, miscast, quite failing to achieve any basic credibility as the naive outsider drawn into this extraordinary world. And I'm not sure what Charlie Hunnam's true-life accent is, but if he isn't capable of turning in a better version of cockney than this, then it would have been far better to allow him just to use his normal voice - or get another actor. As it is, his bizarre Dick van Dyke impression is risible and distracts attention throughout from what should be the most important single role in the film.
Some may feel that is a bit harsh, and other performances do their bit to make up - notably I think Leo Gregory as Bovver, the borderline psychopath who actually manages to engage emotionally at times. But the fact that the film succeeds at all is really a credit to the script, which does shine with originality and vigour, in spite of a leaden acting style from a seemingly dispirited cast.
It is a bleak film, overall. There aren't many laughs here, and London has rarely looked so joy-less on screen. But then, it's a serious subject. It deserves a serious and thought-provoking treatment. And it gets that with Green Street.
Go and see it. But brace yourself.