hooligans (2005)
by zEke
In the Middle Ages, knights were meant to fight as heavy cavalry. These knights would fight and would also take place in tournaments for their country, their order, their reputation, their honor. Nowadays, knighthood is a symbolic title given to people as a recognition of their achievements. If you twist it enough, nowadays hooligans are present day knights devoted to their team, their firm, their reputation, their honor. And this is what this movie is about. Football hooliganism refers to the destructive behavior of football supporters that take their passion further than what football is about. Arranged fights between firms of different clubs, support to either far right or left political parties, liters and liters of beer, are everyday ingredients in the life of a hooligan and some of the ingredients of hooligans. By now we all know the movie is not a comedy and has to deal with the fact that graphic violence is used, as expected, in the line of i.d. (1995).
Behind the camera there is Lexi Alexander, who is currently in charge of the sequel of the weak the punisher (2004), that will be released in 2008. Truth is, it is not usual to find a woman directing movies like these, which does not say anything, neither good nor bad, but it is not difficult to believe that gender might have something to do with the way people face violence. To take an obvious example, I remember the personal touch Mary Harron gave to american psycho (2000). Alexander tries to study in depth the hooliganism but, despite a right approach that avoids an obvious direct judgment of the characters, she is not as convincing as she pretends.
Matt (Elijah Wood) is a brilliant journalism student in Harvard who ends expelled when drugs belonging to his wealthy roommate are found among his belongings. With his mother dead and his father, a famous journalist, somewhere in the globe, he decides to go to London, where her sister Shannon (Claire Forlani) lives with her husband Steve (Mark Warren) and their baby. Once there, he befriends Steve’s brother Pete (Charlie Hunnam) who will introduce the yank to his fellow members of the Green Street Elite, West Ham’s firm. Matt will find a way out from his pessimistic reality, the one of a loser, through violence and mayhem. A way out that will have severe consequences.
The movie has what one might expect. Matt will go from the harsh snob world that surrounds him in Harvard to hooliganism as a way of liberation to find out that what really matters might be behind and what needed a change was his attitude towards life. Of course, he is new in a world he does not know and not everyone will be happy with his arrival to the firm, thus betrayal and envy, and its consequences. Revenge and redemption are also slightly faced through Shannon and Steve. Obviously, someone will die in the end, I will not say who, but it becomes clear someone will half way into the movie. All together might be too much for a movie that smartly spends also some time describing how firms spend their time before and after the explicit and bloody fights shown. Fights are shot with a different style thorough the movie; jump cuts, a security camera view, and a bittersweet song in the background, are the particular ingredients of each of the three main fights.
Regarding the cast, I will not say much. Elijah Wood spends his time on screen going back and forth from Frodo’s (from the lord of the rings trilogy) tender glance to Kevin’s (from sin city (2005)) psychotic glance. That, and showing he is as good of a goalie as Sylvester Stallone in victory (1981). Claire Forlani’s character might be too tear-jerking while I do not really see Mark Warren as Steve Dunham. Chralie Hunnam, who probably saw fight club (1999) a couple of times before this movie, might be who takes most advantage of his character.
You will see a movie that although it does not directly judge the actions of its characters, points you in one direction, and that might get in the nerves of more than one, and more than two. The truthfulness of the script has been called into question. I will say that this is a movie not a documentary and the essence of what is shown might perfectly be a respectable exaggeration of reality.
For the deadhours of those who waited for you in school after class.
deadrate: δair
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