| | | Stand Your Ground.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.40:1, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
A wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of soccer hooliganism. Running Time: 108 min.Format: DVD MOVIE
"A great film because of it's realism..." Don R. Lewis, Film Threat
"Terrific." G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
"...visceral impact and vividly evoked emotional and physical extremes..." Joe Leydon, Variety
Editor's Note
GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS: In 1988, British director Alan Clarke set a high benchmark for movies about soccer hooliganism with a brutal, unflinching drama called THE FIRM. Few dared follow in Clarke's estimable footsteps. But filmmaker Lexi Alexander, who joined a gang of soccer thugs during her childhood in Germany, seems well placed to be the director of GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS, which returns to the controversial subject matter some 17 years after Clarke's film. Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood) is a student who travels to London after getting kicked out of Harvard. Ostensibly there to visit his sister, Matt instead forms an unlikely bond with her husband's brother, Pete Dunham (Charlie Hunnam), who takes him to a soccer match to see his team, West Ham. At the game, the inevitable happens, and Matt's initial trepidation at the violence swelling around him soon turns into a pulse-racing, visceral thrill. Suddenly finding a taste for the hooligan life, Matt joins Pete's "firm," the Green Street Elite, leading to further booze-fueled confrontations and providing an opportunity for Matt to keep a journal explaining why he's attracted to such a violent pursuit. Surprisingly, Elijah Wood manages to fit perfectly into a role that seems ill-suited to his elfin, wide-eyed looks. British actor Charlie Hunnam, who starred in the U.K. version of QUEER AS FOLK and TV's UNDECLARED, neatly complements Wood as the Cockney boy who leads him into danger, and together the two actors manage to carve out convincingly violent characters. A loud, energetic soundtrack and roaming, trembling camera work create a disquieting atmosphere in a movie punctuated with scenes of rampant brutality. Sensibly not trying to ape Alan Clarke's approach to the subject matter, Alexander has instead created a very effective work built on her own experience.
| Features | "The Making Of Hooligans" | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Interactive Menus | | Music Video: "One Blood" By Terence Jay | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 8/29/2006 |
| Running Time: 108 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 76029 | | UPC: 00012569760295 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.40:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"The direction fizzes with energy in the frame-shaking fight scenes..." 05/01/2006 p.89San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
Green Street Hooligans is terrific because director Lexi Alexander, a German, brings an authentic feel to English hooliganism -- this is a brutal yet tremendously entertaining film -- and treats it very seriously. The movie doesn't try to hide the appeal of hooliganism for its supporters but doesn't preach either. Only some cliched plot machinations keep it from greatness. - Joshua Kosman
Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
The movie was directed by Lexi Alexander, a German woman who is herself a former kick-boxing champion. It uses cinematography by Alexander Buono to capture the everyday reality of London streets and the kinetic energy unleashed in the fights. It also unfolds a tragic back story, as old secrets are revealed, leading up to the ultimate possibility of death. No, don't assume you know who will die. It isn't who you might think. Of the dead man, we are told: "His life taught me there's a time to stand your ground. His death taught me there's a time to walk away." I guess the time to walk away is before you get killed standing your ground, unless you have a very good reason for standing it. - Roger Ebert
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