Title: Green Street Hooligans (2005)Starring: Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani
Directed By: Lexi Alexander
I haven't seen Punisher: War Zone yet, but now I get why they got a female director. With Green Street Hooligans, Lexi Alexander shoots action sequences as if you were there in the street yourself, part of the brawl. It's exhilarating. Unfortunately, a lot of the movie feels like time that passes as your just waiting for the next fight.
The story follows Harvard dropout Matt Buckner (Wood). Matt heads to England to visit his sister, and while there he gets involved with her brother-in-law Pete and his "firm" (basically a gang of violent, rabid soccer fans supporting their home team). What follows is Matt's journey into manhood and his discovery of the pride that comes with having something worth fighting for in your life.
The fights (and there are plenty) are easily the most enjoyable element of the film. While the characters are fairly well-developed and the performances are all decent, their motivations are all pretty obvious and heart-on-their-sleeve. They all do what they should, and in the end, it was just to get us to the next fight. I do have to say though, that Elijah Wood holds his own in the action scenes, which I found a little surprising.
That's not to say there isn't a decent story here, it just pales in comparison to the fighting. For the gritty brawls alone, this is recommended.
Score: 7/10
Agreed!
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