The Football Factory Review

"THE FOOTBALL FACTORY" reviews

Movie

THE FOOTBALL FACTORY

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-25 21:43:20

Provider

Review

Hooliganism and mindless violence is something which all genuine football fans hope has been weeded out of the beautiful game.

These days, a Saturday afternoon is more about silky skills and, at worst, laughing at Tottenham than having to avoid gangs of lads battering each other outside tube stations or pubs. Well this effort from Goodbye Charlie Bright director Nick Love tries to bring some validity to the 'firms' which still pollute the game to some extent.

The film centres on Tommy (Danny Dyer), a mid-level thug in Chelsea's firm. His war hero Grandad (Dudley Sutton) is planning on moving to Australia, his best mate (Neil Maskell) is getting all loved up with some bird and he's having bad dreams about an upcoming ruck with the Millwall boys. Maybe a good fight will help clear his head?

If your idea of a good night out is hoovering half of Columbia up your nose, getting lashed on the lager and finally trying to half kill someone with your fists before getting a kebab, then The Football Factory should appeal to you - but then so will Burberry caps and owning a pitbull. To the rest of civilised society, this film is a pretty reprehensible hour and half.

Love has obviously been trying to get a bit of a Trainspotting vibe with all his gritty interpretation of John King's book, but, like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on a bad day, he misses by a mile. Instead of drawing us into Tommy's world, we feel repulsed by it and feel little pity for the character, especially when he's being advised left, right and centre to drop the firm and grow up. And the idea that these groups of 'fans' are noble and honourable warriors, what a joke. They are thugs and a disgrace to the teams they claim to support.

Firms members will probably love this film and see it as an excuse for their actions. Hopefully everyone else will know better.