The Football Factory (2004)

Director:

Nick Love

Writers:

John King (novel)
Nick Love (writer)

Release Date:

14 May 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

What else you gonna do on a Saturday?

Plot:

The Football Factory is more than just a study of the English obsession with football violence, its about men looking for armies to join...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Violence | Cockney Accent | Racial Slur | Reference To Ikea

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Danny Dyer	...	Tommy Johnson
Frank Harper	...	Billy Bright
Tamer Hassan	...	Fred
Roland Manookian	...	Zeberdee
Neil Maskell	...	Rod
Dudley Sutton	...	Bill Farrell
Jamie Foreman	...	Cabbie
Tony Denham	...	Harris (as Anthony Denham)
Calum McNab	...	Raff
John Junkin	...	Albert Moss
Sophie Linfield	...	Tamara
Kara Tointon	...	Shie
Michele Hallak	...	Shian
Daniel Naylor	...	Terry
Alison Egan	...	Barbara

Also Known As:

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | France:-16 (DVD) | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Ireland:18 | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Earl's Court, London, England, UK

Company:

Vertigo Films

Trivia:

Dougray Scott and Sean Bean were originally in the film before the original script, director and cast were scrapped.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the fight against Millwall, we see Raff on the floor with blood and bruises on his face. However, when the police arrive, we see Raff taunting them with no signs of being hurt at all.

Quotes:

Tamara:So... What do you do, then, Thomas?
Tommy Johnson:[Thomas? I kick people's fuckin' heads in for a laugh. And you should know, div. You read the charges out] Me? I work long and hard.

Movie Connections:

References Goodfellas (1990)

Soundtrack:

Leather

This is reality, folks

Football violence is a horrible thing. Period. What "The football factory" shows us is a bit of reasoning behind why, seemingly normal go out and beat the crap out of each other because of a game with 22 guys and a ball. The truth is, it has nothing to do with the game. How the team actually does really doesn't matter, as long as you get to play your rivals because it's about togetherness and escaping the dreariness of everyday life. In a sick a twisted way of course, but it's the only way for these guys. The movie itself goes by at a million miles an hour and gives us characters that seem both believable and real, and a really touching story of a friendship that has lasted through the ages. The main character Tommy is a really interesting one: He knows he's on the path to destruction and through visions of his own demise, he realizes that it's all going to hell and that he (along with the other hang-arounds) are along for the ride. It's a movie that is definitely worth an hour and a half of your time and you Americans should praise yourself lucky that at least you got one thing right: You know how to behave at sporting events (hell, at NFL games they have barbecues out in the parking lot where fans of the opposing teams eat and hang out together. Just imagine that at a Tottenham-Chelsea or Roma-Lazio game!)