Unlike "Fight Club," it has one demand, not rule

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2012)

One of my favorite gang films of all time is Boyz N The Hood, mainly because its prime focus isn't the actual gang members but rather the people affected by the violence and unrest. The film followed three men, growing up with albatrosses and typical coming of age struggles, only magnified because of their presence in a poor neighborhood. The film was dark, poignant, and very, very upsetting, yet beautifully done, with every frame and character having paid close attention to detail and subtitles.
Along comes Green Street Hooligans many years later. It's no Boyz N The Hood, but it's still worth a look. The film centers around the London "Green Street Elite" (GSE) gang, comprised of brutal men with a die-hard obsession for the sport of football and an appetite for grave brutality. Their latest member is tourist Matt Buckner (Wood), who was kicked out of Harvard after being framed for drug use. He visits his sister and her husband out in London, and winds up becoming acquainted with her husband's brother Pete (Hunnam), the leader of the hooligan "firm." The transformation Matt undergoes from a decent, well-educated man to a thuggish, impulse-driven madman happens very quickly as he winds up favoring respect over modesty and violence over civil obedience.
Elijah Wood seems to be holding up nicely after The Lord of the Rings trilogy, building a solid and diverse filmography, but here, he seems a bit outgunned. This is one of the things about independent films I grow weary about; some of the them feel the need to softly "American-ize" their story by either adding a well-known actor or by hammering in homages from other common American films. Green Street Hooligans does both, but subtly enough so as not to be too distracting. While Wood feels out of place, he nonetheless does everything he can with his role, and the result is favorable. As for the slight homages, it seems the film has also had a little run-in with David Fincher's Fight Club in terms of some of the underground fight scenes.
The fight scenes are brisk, attractive, if a little too much of a fantasy, but the most important thing to notice is how the GSE look at other gangs. Throughout the film, numerous dirty looks are exchanged, facial expressions seem to scream over words, and some scenes involving Elijah Wood, who arguably has the most difficult role in the picture, capture the fear and regret just by the simple look into ones eyes.
Another thing to note is the impressive use of cinematography, which is superbly utilized in the scene where Matt is walking home alone through the cold streets of London. London's xenophobia is consuming, and so is the violence that one could find on the streets. The ominous, bleak texture of the city is wonderfully portrayed, and the film makes no attempt to try and gloss over the facts when it comes to street violence and how unapologetic it can become.
Director Lexi Alexander, a world champion in both kickboxing and karate, has stated in interviews that her older brother was a member of a football firm and that she got a lot of inspiration from the encounters she had with the gang while with him. Her work is definitely well done and acted properly, but something feels missing. Thinking back to mobster films like Goodfellas and gang films like Boyz N The Hood, what made them so good was that the characters were like time-bombs, with explosive personalities rather than explosive actions, and were developed with plenty of care and attention. Green Street Hooligans sort of focuses too much on Matt and Pete, and forgets there are other members of the gang worth describing. This is a fine film, shedding light on a band of people I'm sure not many in the United States are aware about, but the lasting effect isn't too long and the result is a tad too Hollywood.
Starring: Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani, and Leo Gregory. Directed by: Lexi Alexander.