Green Street Hooligans (2005)

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

Director:

Lexi Alexander

Writers:

Lexi Alexander (story), Dougie Brimson (story)

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elijah Wood	...	Matt Buckner
Charlie Hunnam	...	Pete Dunham
Claire Forlani	...	Shannon Dunham
Marc Warren	...	Steve Dunham
Leo Gregory	...	Bovver
Geoff Bell	...	Tommy Hatcher
Kieran Bew	...	Ike
Henry Goodman	...	Carl Buckner
Christopher Hehir	...	Keith
Terence Jay	...	Jeremy Van Holden
Ross McCall	...	Dave
Francis Pope	...	Ned
Rafe Spall	...	Swill
David Alexander	...	Nigel
Oliver Allison	...	Ben Dunham

Storyline

Unjustly expelled from Harvard when a stash of cocaine is found in his possession, Matt moves to London to live with his sister and her husband Steve. He is quickly introduced to Steve's chirpy, cock-sure younger brother Pete. Initially, Pete is reluctant to get acquainted with Matt and allow him to tread around the capital city with him because he may be seen by others as an 'outsider', but after a heavy drinking session with him and his mates he quickly changes his opinion of him. On the way back from a football match, Matt is viciously accosted by a gang of Birmingham City thugs, until Pete and his friends step in and save him. It is from here that Matt learns the truth about Pete and his friends- they are football hooligans, operating the GSE (Green Street Elite) 'firm.' Initially afraid of the violence, Matt soon ends up becoming as desensitized to it as his new found friends - but as events roll on, suspicion, shocking revelations and unsettled scores combine to a devastating ...

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Plot Keywords:

hooliganism | hooligan | bar fight | london england | male camaraderie | 

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Taglines:

Stand Your Ground And Fight.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Italian German

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Yank

Filming Locations:

Bank Underground Station, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$48,760, 11 September 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$344,095, 20 November 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baker Street,MWM (MadisonWellsMedia),Yank Film Finance

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Matt goes to his first West Ham game we are told that they are playing Birmingham, when really the game they are watching was West ham playing Gillingham

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Goofs

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.

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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?

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Connections

Referenced in Lie to Me: Grievous Bodily Harm (2009)

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Soundtracks

Hooligan Drums
Written and Performed by Ivan Koutikov

User Reviews

A personal transformation through the culture of sport

Hopefully this film will not be limited in its reception as a "sport" film, and more disparagingly in America as a "soccer" film. It is much more than either distinction, for it portrays the transformational awakening of a young man as he becomes proactive rather than reactive about life.

This transition occurs within the often misunderstood culture of "football hooligans", hordes of zealous football fans who display a jingoistic allegiance to their teams and the locale from which they hail. The insight provided into this world reveals more than gang triviality for these men do not compete for the sake of criminal enterprise or the carnal spoils of women. Their skirmishes, often times brutal, are for stake in a sense of pride that reminds us that athletes put glory in our sport, but for some fans, glory is the sport. That pride, as it is conveyed, does well to offset the characterization of drunken recklessness that could easily be assessed to "hooliganism".

I highly recommend this film --- it's not "soccer". It's awakening to self.