Cass

Plot synopsis:
Cass is based on the true story of the life of Cass Pennant, adapted from his book. The film tells of how he was adopted by an elderly white couple in 1958 and brought up in Slade Green, an all-white area of London. Cass is forced to endure racist bullying on a daily basis from local children, who also ridicule his feminine-sounding name, "Carol", a name give to him by his Jamaican biological parents. Cass adopts his new nickname after the boxer Cassius Clay. His adoptive father starts taking him to see West Ham United on a regular basis, and he becomes involved in hooliganism aged 14 after helping the Inter City Firm, the West Ham hooligan firm, fight Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters in 1972.
Cass climbs the ranks of the ICF to become the leader in the early 1980s. Cass finds through violence the respect he never had and becomes addicted to the buzz of fighting. Cass leads the ICF to victories against large hooligan firms, such as Leeds in 1980, but becomes frustrated with the lack of publicity the ICF are receiving. So he creates cards with the infamous slogan, "Congratulations, you have just met the famous ICF", and gives a TV interview, increasing the firm's notoriety for humiliation, their speciality. However, the government under Margaret Thatcher begins to come down hard on hooliganism, and after an organised attack on a group of Newcastle United supporters, Cass is imprisoned for four years. Whilst in Wormwood Scrubs, Cass begins writing his autobiography, in the hope he can generate some income upon the book being published; however his writings are confiscated by the prison upon his release.
Cass is delighted to receive a hero's welcome upon his return, and begins dating Elaine (Natalie Press). This, as well as Cass's rejection of his biological parents after their attempts to contact him, improves his relationship with his adoptive parents after they began to disapprove of his violent lifestyle. Despite having a good relationship with Elaine, Cass is still lured to the violence of hooliganism, and when one of his best friends, Prentice (Gavin Brocker), is attacked by Arsenal supporters with knives, Cass seeks revenge. He is stabbed in the following fight, and Elaine is disgusted, fearing he is returning to his old ways, as she reveals she is pregnant with his child.
As time progresses to the early 1990s, the ecstasy era takes over, and hooliganism becomes less of an attraction for Cass, and for many other hooligan firms. By 1992, he has settled down in Penge, South London, with his young son and Elaine, who is pregnant again. Cass gets a job as a bouncer outside nightclubs, working for Ray (Tamer Hassan), a long-time friend from his ICF days. However one evening, just after starting a shift at the nightclub, Cass is shot three times by the group of Arsenal supporters that he feuded with back in the 1980s. Cass survives, but wakes up to hear the tragic news that his mother has died.
In the following weeks, Cass is haunted by his demons after the shooting; he sees visions of his attacker, he can't sleep and on one occasion, makes a violent outburst at his son. Cass's friend Ray has tracked down his attackers and offers Cass the opportunity to kill them. Cass is taken to a pub and holds a gun to his attacker's head at point-blank range, but decides not to pull the trigger. The film ends as Cass walks away from the pub and into the distance.
Pennant himself plays a cameo role in the movie as the character "Biggs", who is one of the bouncers.

Tags: violence, flashback

Review:
His story does have dramatic potential and sociological significance but neither Baird nor Pennant have the discipline or know- how to deliver it.For lovers of football violence, there is not a lot of it.
For an 18 Certificate the grizzly reality of these confrontations is pretty sanitised giving succour to the dreamy, romantic retrospection that it was just like minded boys fighting, and finding a sense of family in hooligan gangs.The key scene when one of Pennants lieutenants gets jumped by three Arsenal thugs and is slashed to ribbons needing 1000 stitches is strangely understated .Its setting is grimly authentic, three against one, the assailants armed, no chance of defence or escape for the victim.
Pennants close subsequent links with the boxing fraternity are only dealt with in short hand in the film and his chance meeting with a similarly incarcerated Ambrose Mendy left out all together, as is, inexplicably, his "saving" of Bruno.Virtual unknown Nonso Anozeo, successfully carries off the role of the adult Pennant.Tamer Hassan plays a convincing cameo as boxer Ray..
I never go into story lines etc and try to keep my reviews brief and to the point here on IMDb. Basically if your a fan of the better UK movies like Football Factory, Green Street, Rise Of The FootSoldier, Clubbed etc then there's no way you will not enjoy this.
This film was of a real interest to me as it was produced by the same producer as Green Street, and having watched it I feel more informed, if a little frustrated.The film centres around the character of Cass Pennant, a real life hooligan and 80's icon for hooliganism.
Adopted into a white family, in an age of racism and violence, Cass finds his natural environment in the place where you would have thought he would be the biggest victim.The script is based on Cass Pennants book 'Cass', and you can't help but feel it was copied and pasted from novel to script.
Nonso Anozie is pretty good as the main character Cass, its interesting to see a generally soft natured character flip out now and again in a hooligan film instead of the typical hot-headed cockney.
If you are looking for another rise of the foot-soldier or a football factory type film, then this may not be for you..
This is the film adaptation of how one Carol "Cass" Pennant rose from being an orphaned black boy, adopted by a white middle aged couple, to being a leader of the notorious football hooligan firm, The ICF.You know what's funny?
Throw in all the film's and documentaries that have found a distributor since Gary Oldman starrer, The Firm 1988 {ID, Football Factory, Green Street and The Rise Of A Footsoldier etc}, well it's a pretty exhausted subject.
So much so, that it's only really those of a certain age, and of an inclination to the topic, that can get much out of what essentially feels like a belated cash in.In Cass' favour is that Pennant does have an interesting back story from which to launch from.
It put me in mind with Caroline Gall's book about hooligan outfit Zulu Warriors, where the black and white mix of races became united at football matches {see what I mean about this film trailing in others wake's}.
Something that, as I mentioned earlier, is pretty much old hat now guv.Nonso Anozie does good work as Pennant, and Natalie Press continues to be effective in these type of roles {see Fifty Dead Men Walking}, while the underused Tamer Hassan asserts his scenes in another typecast role.
Not just another hooligan film: works as a good drama in its own right.
Sure Cass is about hooliganism and has enough of that to fit the bill, but this is good enough to be mainstream viewing.We found it much better than we expected: good central performances and a great arc lift this from its genre to something better.It really looks and sounds (the language is what is was, every second word is filth, but then it was) like the British East End 80s down to the council flat doors.I can honestly recommend this a good well-made film about life in Britain in the early 80s, it is a little light on production and directing values, it is shot too simplistically, but the story is well delivered, it is probably not for your granny (unless she's a hard nut), but deserves a wider audience than just 20 year old males with a footie hard on..
With The Football Factory still reverberating in the memory, it's difficult to get as excited about a film like Cass as one would like; a piece living in the still-recent shadow of such a film whilst calling on direct influence from the likes of 2005's Green Street as well as bits and pieces of an older crime film, albeit disconnected from hooliganism, in the form of De Palma's Carlito's Way. Indeed, Cass' director is a certain Jon Baird; a man who worked on Green Street as an associate producer - his film here formulating into a similar tale of a "white crow" and their consequent exposure to a world around them they are inherently alien to.
A similar framework of someone as much-an outcast to their surroundings getting involved, before realising the nature of one's ways and one's life, is told here, only over the space of about thirty years and not as engagingly.The film follows that of true-to-life criminal-come-hooligan turned author Cass Pennant; a man whose tale here is as true as they tell us it is, and yet doesn't carry that naturalistic sense that it is someone's life actually progressing from one point to another.
Told in glaringly episodic fashion, a fresh popular song peppering the soundtrack every time the era jumps forward, Nonso Anozie plays the titular lead: a man of Jamaican descent adopted at a young age by a white London couple in the 1960s, and brought up as their own in decent, friendly home-set surroundings.
In an attempt to instill an early sense of where we're at, we observe The Football Factory's own Tamer Hassan doing what the character of Billy Bright did in Nick Love's said 2004 film, when pub-set shenanigans give way to the intimidating of a young kid who thinks he can intermingle with those above his weight.Cass is apprehensive of going to football to begin with; not even his father's reiteration that the stars of the day and certain World Cup winners will be there appears to convince him, but he rides it out and then discovers a taste for what lurks beneath the following of a football team.
Thus that of what we see of Cass' life is launched, his descent through hooliganism and organised violence; a world in which the attraction of a footballing 'firm' facing off against another is more appealing than the match itself.
West Ham's biggest rivals in this regard are Leeds United, not out of geography nor the fact they are both of an immensely skilled nature alá the Real Madrid-Barcelona ties, but because these two fight the hardest.What transpires are several 'bits' and pieces of Pennant's life: his first feel of football violence; his going to prison; his meeting of a girl; his getting wind of a business venture, none of it much more than slightly interesting and all of it propped up with a lacklustre script seeing dialogue made up of insults and lots of four letter words predominantly coming from that of the males therein with meek moral out-linings accompanying spots of common sense exuded by the females.
Director Baird strikes us as someone doing their utmost to make a good film, maturely; his veering off down a route to encompass a sub-plot inspired by Carlito's Way, as well as the fact Cass is later released from prison to the same sound of pomp and circumstance that saw Alex De Large enter prison in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, suggests the man has seen his fair share of films; enjoyed them and desperately wanted to make his own whilst pay homage, but there is no cumulative whole around which everything gels.
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning A film highlighting the true story of Cass Pennant (Nonso Anozie) a baby born to a Jamaican mother who was raised by a white working class couple who's doorstep he landed on.
The film charts his youth getting his first taste of football violence in it's heyday of the early 70s, through to a decade later when he was leading London's top firm The ICF (Inter City Firm) into battle, which ended up getting him a lengthy spell in jail.
He came out and tried to turn his life around, getting into the nightclub doorman business, but his past caught up with him and after an attempt on his life, he turned his back on his old life for good, and is now respected as a renowned author.After the true life story of Carlton Leach was documented in the woeful misfire Rise of the Foot Soldier, Cass arrives trying to do the same thing with (black) ICF leader Pennant.
I wasn't disappointed in this respect, but in others Cass did disappoint me quite badly.For a film that's ended up on the big screen, the film looks remarkably cheap, like it's more suited as a TV film than here.
The use of stock footage from old news reels showing the football violence also didn't help in this respect.
But aside from this, the film goes to great pains to dramatize Cass's life story veering away from any exciting football action, but rather than involve us in the end the film has come off more as dull and boring unfortunately.The film benefits from an undeniably fine lead performance from Anozie as the titular character, an articulate thug with a lot of pent up anger in him but who also has an intelligent side that comes to be his guiding light.
It had about one showing time when I went to see it, but the theatre was packed and it seems to have had a stay of execution for this week too, so maybe it'll do better than it seemed.It's not awful by any means, with some strong performances and an interesting story, that sadly came off as dull rather than how it should have.
Way more than just a football thuggery story, as our protagonist has to weave his way from being an orphaned Black kid (Nonso Anozie) raised by White foster parents in a predominantly White London east end neighborhood to being a self-respected man with a job, family and peace of mind.
But his issues with the aforementioned football thuggery with its concomitant need for constant revenge through violence is keeping him from the realization of his true inner self, the real man he wants to be.
I enjoyed this film just enough to watch the whole 90 minutes, but it felt like i had already seen a dozen movies like this - football factory, green street, rise of the footsoldier, the firm (2009 version).
it was a film that left me feeling unsatisfied for some reason, i cannot explain.The story is simple - A black baby raised by a white couple, who grows up in London.
He grows up in very racist times and as he gets older he earns his respect by fighting rival fans at football games(he is a West Ham fan).
This is the third football film in the last 3 years that revolves around West Ham united, (Green Street and Rise of the foot soldier) which is pretty tiring, as it makes you wish that the main character supported another dam team for once!
you get a pretty good performance from Nonso Anozie and Leo Gregory, who you will notice from green street.
Tamer Hassan also has a bit of screen time who you will recognise from the football factory and he does his tough man act pretty well.
a football hooligan, no other story apart from the obvious confrontations that brings his way.
I'll admit that i felt cheated by this film, i thought there would be a better story....but never mind.If you are a huge fan of these hooligan films then by all means you will love it, but if like me, you are getting bored of these type of films then stay awayBy Scott Dewhurst.
as for Elaine (Cass's wife) not knowing a damned thing about the man's better half I felt that Natalie Press was not wooden or poor but actually quite sweet and find that viewers and critics alike expect Hollywood stellar performances far too often from actors portraying sweet n simple everyday fault filled folk.
This film feels real and as a side point the story should be respected, racism was rife in football at that time so the 'achievement' of Cass is even more remarkable.I guess I'm a bit biased as I've met the man, met his wife and met his son (who had an extra role in Green Street).
Having seen pretty much every football hooligan based film available, I was pleasantly surprised by this film.
Clearly there is the classic basis of a plot as for most films of this nature - new guy in the firm; earns respect; works the way to the top; gets a family; suffers a traumatic event (or 2) and then seeks revenge.
I think the reason that this film didn't bore me with the storyline is because you got a lot of background information on the main character Carol (a.k.a.
"Cass"), which is different to a lot of other films of this sub-genre.The film has a good balance of drama, comedy and violence.
Yes the editing could have been better but for what essentially is a low budget film by a fairly inexperienced director it is an entertaining viewpoint into the life of one of Britain's most famous football casuals.
The acting was brilliant all round and most of the fight scenes well choreographed even if they did lack the gore of rise of the foot soldier (a brilliant film about the life of Carlton leech) or the high budget effects of greenstreet (a Hollywood let down in the football violence genre) yes this is no ID or The Firm but it is a good honest insight into what went on and IS based on real events unlike the aforementioned 2 films.
I watched this film unwillingly with some friends thinking it was some violent-glorification of ugly, football hooligans Looking back, I would have preferred this much more than what the film actually was - a lame 2 hour drama which had to be endured rather than enjoyed.I felt so disengaged throughout the whole movie - possibly because of how amateur and unoriginal the film looked and felt.
This is the bio-pic of Cass Pennant who rose through the ranks of the much feared West Ham Inter-City Firm of football casuals .
The audience are left with the feeling that screenwriter /director Jon S Baird is trying to tell a story of social relevance involving a black child being adopted by a white couple but decided to just chronicle the activities of the ICF since this is the selling point of the movie For a film that involves a football tribe it's rather average with the usual shouts of " FAHK " and " KANT " in mockney accents which probably sums up how self limiting the hooligan sub genre is .
to actually attacking people for his beloved football team.The character of Cass is a man who blindingly loves his country and must face prosecution from others and constantly told he does not belong...I loved his rise, and the respect he accumulates from people.I found the prison part to be very fascinating as another Jamiacan British cell mate tells him about why he should care for his roots, and Cass's place in the world.The fight scenes were brilliantly shot and show Great Britain's hard men...We are not all like Hugh Grant..LOL..A good solid film with a great cast of actors...
I watched this DVD with my 18yr old daughter who also enjoyed it as good entertainment and a brief historic view to what football hooligans were like, she had no idea this happened back then.
An orphaned Jamaican baby, adopted by an elderly white couple and brought up in an all white area of London, became one of the most feared and respected men in Britain.Cass grew up in a time before political correctness and was forced to endure racist bullying on a daily basis, until one day when the years of pent up anger came out in a violent burst.
His way of life finally caught up with him when an attempted assassination on his life, saw him shot three times at point blank range...After a string of dismal football hooligan movies and dodgy sequels, and the majority of Nick Love films and the fact that Tamar Hassan is in it, you'd be forgiven for giving this a wide birth.but this isn't just another football film, this is about a man who wanted prejudice to be about who he supported, not the colour of his skin.It's a very gritty made film, with not a lot of violence, and it feels like it's the eighties, not looking like the eighties, if you know what i mean.All of the cast are very good (even Hassan), and although some of the settings are reminiscent of the original 'The Firm', this still stands head and shoulders above films like Green Street, Football Factory and ID.Not for everybody's taste, but a very heartfelt story, and proof that people could stand up in Maggies Millions.
The trouble with movies like Cass is that they are not bad films by any means, nor do they fail to entertain or live in the memory.