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Green Street (2005)

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5 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

It used to be nearly impossible for Brits to venture abroad without a chatty foreigner acknowledging our nationality by mock-clenching his fists and exclaiming, ‘Oh yes, football ’ooligans!’ But that was the ’80s. Does it take that long for cinema to catch up with the real world? No, we’ve already had ‘The Firm’, ‘ID’ and ‘Football Factory’ – all better films about football violence. This strong sense of redundancy aside, though, ‘Green Street’ never recovers from a fatal and, frankly, crazy premise. German director Lexi Alexander gives us Elijah Wood as Matt, a Harvard journalism drop-out who becomes a West Ham-supporting football hooligan while visiting his sister (Claire Forlani) in London. Harvard? Hooligan? Elijah Wood? I can understand Wood’s desire to ditch his freaky elf image, but this is beyond credible. And it gets worse. Charlie Hunnam (last seen writhing beneath Aiden Gillen in TV’s ‘Queer as Folk’) delivers a truly appalling performance as Pete, a home-grown Brit thug and Matt’s conduit into hooliganism. Pete is London born and bred, so why does Hunnam’s accent swing violently from Dublin to Sydney, only occasionally stopping on home turf? And the idea that Matt’s background in media studies puts him in mortal danger among his fellow hooligans is no less ludicrous. A disaster (of a) film.

Author: DC

Time Out London Issue 1829: September 7-14 2005

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User reviews of this film

Al said...

Posted on Sep 11 2011 23:56 Saw this film for the first time last night. Abysmal. Ignorant fantasty cliche upon ignorant fantasy cliche. Puerile luvvie drivel.

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Thomas Noctor said...

Posted on Jul 24 2010 17:51 Posh people can be criminals too, just cause football fans like this doesn't make us stupid at all, its a difference of opinion. Class film, great story, those who like Chick Flicks probably won't like it!

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Mr Common Sense said...

Posted on Jul 24 2010 15:19 IF you think this is a good film then you are really a simple thing. Its terrible, the story is ridiculous (a posh harvard student who suddenly is laying people out and taking blows on the chin) its just terrible. BAd actiong makes it even more apauling though. Any Brit shoukld be embarresed by this film

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Thomas Noctor said...

Posted on Sep 17 2009 01:10 In my top 5 favourite movies of all time, this shows the Americans the old tradition of the worlds most bitter rivals. In this 'soccer hooligan' movie we are introduced first to the hard side of these people, then the tender side and finally the desperate side. Wood is brilliant in this much better than he was in the boring Lord of the Rings series. This is a must see!!!!!!!!!!

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Jo said...

Posted on Jun 05 2009 12:50 Could not disagree more. This is one of my favourite films, and I think the performance of Charlie Hunnam is fantastic. A moving and emotional journey of a film. The film is engrossing and great viewing for any working ckass football fan. A fantastic film, with fantastic performances, and the ending is very humbling.

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