A gripping story of football violence in middle England, based on John King's best-selling novel. Tommy Johnson is a typical twenty-something drug-taking lager-lout. Provoked into giving someone a good kicking on a Saturday afternoon he gets embroiled in an escalating petty war of violence and revenge. Read more
| Starring | Danny Dyer, Dudley Sutton, Frank Harper |
|---|---|
| Director | Nick Love |
| Genres | Drama |
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A gripping story of football violence in middle England, based on John King's best-selling novel. Tommy Johnson is a typical twenty-something drug-taking lager-lout. Provoked into giving someone a good kicking on a Saturday afternoon he gets embroiled in an escalating petty war of violence and revenge.
| Starring | Danny Dyer, Dudley Sutton, Frank Harper |
|---|---|
| Director | Nick Love |
| Studio | MOMENTUM PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 27 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 27 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 27 Sep 2004 Blu-ray: 15 Sep 2008 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
This British drama from Goodbye Charlie Bright director Nick Love takes an unflinching look at soccer hooliganism and the thugs who get their kicks from it. Portraying several weeks in the lives of a firm of thugs who support Chelsea, it is a decently acted and clearly well-made film, but what is less evident is its moral stance. While not openly condoning the brutality it depicts, the movie doesn't actively condemn it either. Which is maybe why, before the official release, pirate copies of a rough cut were reportedly much prized by soccer's real-life bovver boys. Love's film is at its best when things are kept nice and gritty, with Frank Harper in particularly menacing form as an ageing hooligan who's old enough to know better. However, the crisis of conscience faced by Danny Dyer's character is less well handled and ultimately lacks conviction.
Like many young men of his ilk, Tommy Johnson (Dyer) lives for leisure: 'Casual sex, watered-down lager, heavily cut... read more on Time Out
I hadn't heard of the book before the movie, and my first impression was that it had something to do with footballers. this film gives you an insight into the world of football hooliganism. It basically follows a 30 year old Chelsea fan and his mates who seem to be looking for a fight at every football match they go to.
not really my taste in film at all.
This really wants to be a football version of 'Trainspotting' but lacks that classic's wit, imagination, intelligence or visual elan. It just feels really, really dumb, even more moronic than the characters it portrays. Even though it's only 80 minutes or so (sans credits) it struggles to hold the attention. It's unfunny, unexciting and a waste of talent and money. The fact that this got the media attention it did on release makes the British film industry seem even sadder and more desperate for a hit than it is. It's not controversial, it's just crap.
We caught up with Brit director Nick Love to talk about his new film Outlaw. Always one to court controversy, his latest film has inevitably put people's noses out of joint. Starring Sean Bean, Bob Hoskins and Danny Dyer, it's the volatile tale of a group of law-abiding citizens who turn against the system in an attempt to get the justice they feel they truly deserve. After the success of The Football Factory and The Business this is Love's most political and mature film to date, he gave us... Read more