The Firm (1988) (TV)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Alan Clarke

Writer:

Al Ashton (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This is the story of rival "Firms" of football (soccer) supporters, and how one man has a wish to team them up for the European Championships of 1988...

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Football | Soccer | Hooligan | Knife

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gary Oldman	...	Bex Bissell
Lesley Manville	...	Sue
Philip Davis	...	Yeti
Andrew Wilde	...	Oboe
Charles Lawson	...	Trigg
William Vanderpuye	...	Aitch
Jay Simpson	...	Dominic
Patrick Murray	...	Nunk
Robbie Gee	...	Snowy
Terry Sue Patt	...	Yusef
Nick Dunning	...	Simon
Nicholas Hewetson	...	Beef
Steve McFadden	...	Billy
Steve Sweeney	...	J.T
Hepburn Graham	...	Stu

Runtime:

USA:70 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 | New Zealand:R18

Filming Locations:

King's Cross, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The crew meet opposite King's Cross station in London before they travel to Birmingham. Euston station is the usual station for that destination. King's Cross serves the north east of England.

Quotes:

Bex Bissell: We come in peace, we leave you in pieces.

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Firm (2009)

A fascinating document, but pretty much 'of its time'...

... because the culture of 'hooliganism' has moved on since this was made. It certainly hasn't gone away, but the organisation of such things is tighter these days with the aid of technology like the Internet. Hopefully these developments will be addressed in upcoming fare like "The Football Factory".

So the 'values and ideals' shown in this film are different because it's a bygone age. Less materialism and more violence exists EVERYWHERE these days, so showing it creeping into suburbia isn't necessarily as shocking now as perhaps it was when viewed at the time. There are some nice performances here though from a wealth of British acting talent who went on to bigger things, and Oldman keeps you watching throughout as only he can; holding the screen with his intense passion. Disappointingly, though, the scenes which are most effective are often undercut by what follows, with the pace never quite finding itself even at a short 67mins. The ending can similarly be seen as a damp squib, but the one or two powerful moments in getting there make this a worthwhile experience for fans of some of the actors.