Hooligans (2005)

Director:

Lexi Alexander

Writers:

Lexi Alexander (story) &
Dougie Brimson (story) ...

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Stand Your Ground And Fight.

Plot:

A wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of football hooliganism.

Plot Keywords:

West Ham | Fight | Hooliganism | Hooligan | Reputation

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Elijah Wood	...	Matt Buckner
Charlie Hunnam	...	Pete Dunham
David Alexander	...	Nigel
Oliver Allison	...	Ben Dunham
James Allison	...	Ben Dunham
Geoff Bell	...	Tommy Hatcher
Joel Beckett	...	Terry
Kieran Bew	...	Ike
David Carr	...	Clive
Andrew Blair	...	Announcer
Brendan Charleson	...	John Morris
Scott Christie	...	Millwall Lad / Ricky
Alec Dalman	...	Security Guard
Claire Forlani	...	Shannon Dunham
Jacob Gaffney	...	Todd

Also Known As:

Football Hooligans (Singapore: English title)
Green Street (UK)
Green Street Hooligans (USA) (new title)
The Yank (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal violence, pervasive language and some drug use.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:16 | Mexico:C | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:16 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Australia:MA | Hungary:18 | USA:R (certificate #41109) | Portugal:M/16 | France:-16 | UK:18 | Ireland:18

Filming Locations:

Bank Underground Station, London, England, UK

Company:

Baker Street

Trivia:

The actors playing the Green Street Hooligans had to work out with the production's trainer for four or five hours every day. The trainer, Pat E. Johnson, had most of the actors throwing up, he was working them so hard. A typical day would involve basic strength and fitness training for about two hours, followed by choreographing of the fight sequences. Rehearsals would take place in the afternoon, and then in the evening they would all go out drinking (which is probably why most of them were throwing up the next day). Elijah Wood was absented from most of this rigorous schedule to emphasize his outsider status.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the first bar scene when Bovver is shown standing on a table singing their West Ham song, he is clearly shown drenched in beer as they throw it everywhere. The next scene is shown in the bathroom with Bovver and Matt and his sweater is completely dry and shows no signs of the beer throwing.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pete Dunham: Fuck me. If I knew we was going to a bar mitzvah, I would have brought me fuckin' skull cap. Mate, Tottenham's due north. Are you lost? Or just fucking stupid?

Movie Connections:

References The Karate Kid (1984)

Soundtrack:

One Blood

A powerful film about loss and being alone resolved into belonging through a Football Firm (gang).

5 Stars; A truly great film, with a powerful story. Beautifully photographed, in London, Wow! The audience was quickly involved, and laughed, started, and gave a standing ovation at the end. Truly a complete film, thank you for having a real ending to the film, which is so rare these days. Never apologize for this film, it is loving, stark, caring, hard, honest, violent, and beautiful. It touches the emotions, and the feeling of not belonging that exists within many of us, and that longing for love and brotherhood, that is not available without some dire costs. The characters were so clearly human, powerful and conflicted one was drawn to care for everything that happened to them and cheer at their triumphs and sit in horror at their losses.

I have recommended that everyone see this film during SXSW. My wife and I were expecting an audience award for the film, which it easily won, however the Jury Award was also won and we were give true appreciation for the jury system at SXSW.

Beautiful photographed, with outstanding music, this production hits all the marks out of the ballpark and should be studied for how powerful film today could be. This is the level of film making I aspire to achieve.