Simply NOT Football Factory....

Rating: 7/10 (12 September 2005)

Firstly, I have just found out that Charlie Hunnam is not an American attempting an East London accent, but a Geordie. Why a Londoner was not cast I will never know, but I do know that with him as the main character the whole film is let down. Don't get me wrong, he is a good actor. But there is no conviction behind the acting when he doesn't know how to "speak proper" and says "mate" way too much for a real Londoner. Not once does he say "guv", "bruv", "ya know wot I mean" or any other slang common to any East London lad. And frankly it feels like the film is trying to fool the audience. Give us some credit please.
Just easy things like make up are awful. On 3 occasions at least Elijah Wood has a harsh vertical cut dissected by 2 horizontal cuts down his face from merely being punched once by an opposing fan. Now I'm no Firm member but I've been in fights and I know that the morning after you will get bruises like you wouldn't believe after some of the things the characters go through.
Little points like the amount that they drink in the pub before the match are inaccurate. Proper geezers/nutters would have 3 pints at most: any more hinders their "performance". I have this on great authority having drunk with members of the Tottenham Hotspur firm...The Yid Army.
However the most incorrect part of this film is the fact that a lad turned just turned 20 could run a Firm. In football Firms you only get to the top through years of fighting next to your fellow lads. Even the "Major" is mid 30's at most, and neither are anywhere near as intimidating as the real thing.
I went into this film with probably too high expectations, having seen the beautiful "Football Factory" a year back. However it let me down through it's numerous inaccuracies and things which simply didn't make sense: A Head of a West Ham Firm would no sooner stab a Yank than look at him, let alone take him under his wing.
The only saving grace I can see from this film is the fantastic performance of Leo Gregory playing Bovver. He was the only intimidating member of the Firm and then acted superbly when drinking Vodka down by the Thames having nearly killed his old Boss.
Put simply: "Green Street/Hooligans" is let down by sloppy dialogue, inaccuracies due to lack of research, bad casting and, although it has great potential, is let down by trying to be 2 films at once: A moral film and a violent film at the same time.
At least Football Factory knew what it was, and didn't pander to the American audience. Americans trying to make a British film.