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Cass (2008)

Director: Jon S Baird

Time Out rating

Average user rating

6 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

You’d be hard pressed to justify forming tight-knit squads of men in a local pub, tooling them up with axe-handles, Stanley knifes and baseball bats, then rushing out on to the streets to beat the living daylights out of other such gangs. Yet ex-firm ringleader-cum-true crime author Cass Pennant argues differently in this meat-and-potatoes cinematic retelling of his life as the skull-trampling football hooligan who headed up West Ham’s infamous Inter City Firm, painting tribal violence as blissful relief from the hardship, unemployment and embedded racism of Thatcher’s Britain.

Newcomer Nonso Anozie delivers a charismatic, finely tempered turn in the title role, switching from hot to cold on the turn of a dime and eking some humanity from a man who – on the surface – is an anti-social brute. Though the narrative is saggy and you feel there’s nowhere left to go after the first hour, a much-needed dash of class from Jon S Baird’s direction helps lift ‘Cass’ above its oft-reactionary genre brethren.

Author: David Jenkins 2008-07-29 12:31:48

Time Out London Issue 1980, July 31 - August 6, 2008

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User reviews of this film

stephen said...

Posted on Jan 13 2009 23:03 Great film, the film reflects the 80's and 90's. This films show the hooligan culture, showing a man journey from negative to positive . This film would be a hit in america.

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Vic Singh said...

Posted on Dec 19 2008 23:38 Great film, and some sound performances. Some genuine East End accents, and the brawl in the cell between "Patwa" man and Cass is a classic. You can feel the tension brewing.
A real gem overlooked. Personally, I would have like to seen the entire story on film with maybe a two part mini series. Maybe there is still time.

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ste said...

Posted on Aug 10 2008 15:07 what other teams are featured in this

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David J said...

Posted on Aug 08 2008 09:23 Not a bad film but the fight scenes especially in the pub in newcastle were substandard to say the least. Not an awful film but boring in parts and definitely more suited to the dvd stalls.

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Johnny said...

Posted on Aug 05 2008 10:46 I think the review from Time Out is spot on. The boy who plays Cass is excellant, the action is realistic, and the writting/direction is thoughtfull and at times, funny. It did seem a bit slow at points but soon picks up. Well worth a viewing.

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Bill Bagnall said...

Posted on Jul 30 2008 14:01 This beats the hell oot of the previouse Hooli films, more "old skool" and deals with his growing up as a black kid in a white world, has a terrific sound track.

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