Undercover: Exposing the Far Right

There's only one other review of this (IMO) excellent documentary on IMDB currently, hopefully this one will provide a tad of counterbalance.

I was aware of Hope Not Hate prior to watching this, but only on the limited level that they are an anti-fascist organisation. I had no idea that as well as highlighting and campaigning against bigotry and racism, they also place themselves in the uncomfortable situation of infiltrating organisations peddling such views to highlight the bits they leave out of the public soundbites and reveal how deranged and dangerous the people within them actually are. They succeed on this.

This documentary style is fairly standard fare, but the content conveys exactly what is needed and the arc and chase to potentially highlight the rich funder of an underground modern day eugenics organisation (tenner if you can guess which race they favour!) is quite thrilling.

The Hope Not Hate team are heroes in my eyes.

This is an eye-opening thriller of a doc, following two modest young men in a perilous undercover operation to expose a far right group. They work for Hope Not Hate, which has been battling racism for years - this is the first time they've let the cameras in. From the testosterone pumped street violence to the monied suits trying to resuscitate race theory, this is a dark and complex world we rarely see. You can't help wondering what the police have been up to while these young idealists risk their lives to expose violent racists.. With their courage at the heart of the film it lightens what might otherwise be a depressing look at the billowing racism from Europe to America. After a summer of the worst race riots in decades in the UK, this is an essential watch.

Love the way the doc is led by the journalists sharing their skills with each other and us. As the undercover journey throws up moments of uninhibited misogyny and racism, the film drops in the motivation behind each member of the team's commitment to Hope not Hate. Their personal stories pepper the thrilling unfolding narrative. They are diverse voices that reinforce the breadth of opposition to violent far right hatred. Their humanity emphasises the narrow mindedness of the fascist groups they are exposing and diminishes their posturing.

This gripping filmmaking shows in real time what positive action looks like.

This is compelling storytelling. It clearly demonstrates the violent lengths various groups of men who feel disenfranchised will go to in the pursuit of feeling in control and having power. These groups think up rationalisations such as the much misused 'scientific evidence' for genetic supremacy to support their narratives in an almost desperate attempt to sound legitimate and sane. Unfortunately some charismatic members manage to use the peddling of fear to manipulate others and convince people to believe in hateful sentiments. It is sad to watch and also brave. This is important viewing and we applaud those involved for staying the course.

It was reasonably put together for the first half, but quite quickly started to fall apart. It seems to draw in countless elements such as British Fascism from the 1920s, British nationalism from the 1970s, social disorder from contemporary times, 'race science' enthusiasts from the same period, Tommy Robinson, far-Right political groups, a nod to Hitler's SS etc etc and in the end, apart from the emotivism, one is left with a jumbled mess. The danger seems to be 'everywhere' and everything the filmmakers shine their camera or their outrage archeology archive footage researcher on. The lack of focus, the lack of a consistent underlying argument meant it will be quickly forgotten.