The Firm (1988) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

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
Dan Hildebrand	...	Sully
Kevin Allen	...	Lomax
Roderick Smith	...	Cliffie
Martin Barrass	...	Alan
Stephen Petcher	...	Mark
Herbert Norville	...	Joe
William Hayes	...	Phil (as William Hayes)
Dave Atkins	...	Bill
Kim Durham	...	Hospital P.C
Stefan Escreet	...	Travel Agent
Robert Hamilton	...	Pullen
Phillip Joseph	...	Sociologist
Debbie Killingback	...	Gill
Mark Monero	...	Wesley
Cassie Stuart	...	Siobhan
Mandy Vickerman	...	Strippergram
Jo Warne	...	Ethel
James Woolley	...	Housebuyer
Albert Bentall	...	Sammy

Directed by
Alan Clarke

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Al Ashton		writer (as Al Hunter)

Produced by
David M. Thompson	....	producer

Cinematography by
Ben Philpott
Richard Philpott
John Ward

Film Editing by
John Strickland

Production Design by
Rachel Heady
Christopher Robilliard		(as Chris Robilliard)

Costume Design by
Helena Ash
Maggie Chappelhow

Makeup Department
Wendy Freeman	....	makeup artist
Jan Nethercot	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Corin Campbell-Hill	....	production manager

Art Department
Sam Stokes	....	stand-by props
Sid Sutton	....	graphic designer
Bob Tunnicliffe	....	property buyer
Noel Cowell	....	stand-by props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Ron Edmonds	....	dubbing mixer
Colin Goudie	....	dubbing editor
Jane Merkin	....	dubbing editor

Visual Effects by
Steve Lucas	....	visual effects designer

Stunts
Terry Forestal	....	stunt arranger

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Williams	....	gaffer

Casting Department
Simone Reynolds	....	casting advisor

Other crew
Charlotte Blair	....	production assistant
Ken Bond	....	armorer
Jane Cossey	....	assistant floor manager
Richard Langridge	....	script editor
Roger Long	....	film recordist
Simon Mather	....	assistant floor manager
Jacinta Peel	....	production associate
Adam Richards	....	assistant floor manager
Anthony Smith	....	location manager
John Spencer	....	assistant floor manager

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• Blue Underground (2004) (USA) (DVD)

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:

Edgbaston Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, 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: [shouts] I need the buzz!

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.