The Hooligan Factory

I don't usually review anything ever. Because most films are relatively reviewed fairly, bar the odd strange fanboy or the liberal lefty, fat pride, blue haired feminist that doesn't find anything funny because they're so uptight and scared to move without offending someone one shade darker than porcelain. The jokes are 85% hit 5 % cringe and 10% miss but all in all it's a funny comedy. The main lead is really perfect, I love how he sees everything that's clearly happening and everyone else is obvious to the obvious dilemmas and threats around themselves. It's not a perfect movie by any strstch of the imagination and I probably wouldn't have rated it so highly but I suppose I have tried to offset the negative reviews that have gave it a measly 1 star, for what reason?? Because the people that reviewed it have no sense of humour. Comedy's that get 5 stars or more are subjectively more like 10 star reviews because 50% of the population are miserable, politically correct, take a knee and bow to the establishment, 6 striped bow, pandering degenerates that don't want anything to do with the normal, backbone, cornerstones of the world. Believe what you want. Dont knock something because you hate white me .

The shelves of British supermarkets are filled with DVD titles with the word 'Hooligan' in them and now finally comes one that's actually worth watching. Sending up the recent spate of Hooligan and Gangster films that have swamped the straight to DVD market and kicking off with the Ranger Rover Essex Murders gone wrong with a nice cameo from Danny Dyer, this sets the parody tone for the rest of the film.

Danny (The always excellent Jason Maza) has no direction in his life but soon finds himself embroiled with Dex,(Nick Nevern) Football Hooligan Topboy, recently released from prison who sports a nice line in neon tracksuit ware. Dex and his gang hang out in the not at all camp 'Iron Hoof' bar, always entering by the back door to avoid the Police, where they plan to square up against long time rival 'The Baron' who presides over another firm.

Okay so the football hooligan version of This Is Spinal Tap this isn't, but the laughs are not thin on the ground as Nevern (Who also co wrote and directs) keeps the gags coming thick and fast. The introduction to many characters in his football gang is a classic nod to the Goodfella's gangster hang out introduction scene and its a funny homage of the first order which will have me buying the DVD for alone. ('Freddy the Nonce - Come in the toilets I've got something to show ya..')

As with the actual films of this genre its very male led heavy with the few female characters not given much to do as the male testosterone hots up leading up to the big meet but perhaps that is the point because non comical films of this type give them even less to do. Nevern has compiled an impressive supporting cast which features several up and coming British Actors including Josef Atlin (Check out his performance in A Long Way Down)Ronnie Fox, Ray Fearon and Tom Burke who is already one of the best of his generation. Every character is a nod to an already existing stereotype in films of this type and then sent up to maximum comic effect, some work better than others but the cast all put in a maximum effort and it certainly pays off. Jason Maza with his natural on screen charisma anchors the whole piece nicely as the narrator and lead role of Danny and Nevern does an uncompromising job as both actor and director in keeping the tone of the piece in the way he intended. The look and the music of the film are well thought to compliment the comedy and may have you reaching for your nearest Kappa tracksuit wear store.

What makes the film all the more incredible is the budget and time in which it was shot in which was very tight on both counts. Though that has not been a factor on this review as it has to stand on its own two feet, it is still a remarkable achievement on its own worth mentioning.

While not everything in the film is perfect and some gags fall flat, the most important thing about comedy films is that they should make you laugh and I will imagine in a couple of years time when someone says to you 'What was the last British comedy that really made you laugh?' instead of struggling to think of one, your answer could well be 'The Hooligan Factory' (Unless you're a total lemon)

I really liked this film, so much its become of of about 4 films this year that I have seen more than once. Sadly I missed it on the big screen due to a lack of screens but the film works better on DVD (and BR). Why? Well the 60 minute making of is near as funny as the film itself. Brilliantly put together. Whilst thinking about The Hooligan Factory this morning I realised that on the second viewing, I spotted so many more 'in jokes' that I missed the first time around. Kinda like 'Airplane' The filmmakers could easily have gone 100% spoof with this film but they have stuck a solid storyline in there. Nothing too complicated. Just enough to take the film from a sketch film to a proper film. I could go into some of the best jokes in the film but you'll find them out for yourself. Easily one of the highlights this year. Very very funny, it takes fun at other films but also in no way takes itself too seriously. If you watch one film this year, Watch The Hooligan Factory....If you watch 2 films this year. Then watch The hooligan Factory again.

The poster should be an indicator! While this is dealing with real life events, it does make fun of them (and the people involved). If you didn't get the message then, you might get it with the movies intro. A very well known British actor has a cameo (actually you get more than one and you could ask, how they got involved in this, but it seems to have been one day of shooting and a lots of fun) were he's making fun of his image and how people perceive him.

Still not sure? The movie is filled with weird and strange humor. Not everything is a hit, but there's enough here to enjoy if you let yourself. Plus it does have violence thrown in there for good measure (in other words, does not shy away from it). It might have a very strange moment towards the end, that does break the comedy a bit, when it gets serious, but the movie almost even pulls that off. Decent enough, especially if you think there have been enough movies about Hooligans already ...

I'm not a fan of soccer/football but I know the insane nature of some of the "fans" and their proclivity to violence. But I also had the advantage of not knowing this was supposed to be a parody of the more serious hooligan genre that was popular at the time as I didn't watch any of those serious takes on the subject. For me it was just an absurdist take on the nature of such sporting fanatics who really are just there to fight and enjoy more the sport of beating each other senseless. So maybe I enjoyed it because I wasn't comparing it to anything. The characters were cartoonish and there was plenty of funny bits to keep me watching. The pacing was good and the production quality was admirable for such low-brow base humor. Performances were good as the characters really held up in my mind. You absolutely had to have gone it hating this movie to end up hating it in the end. It's silly, it's brutal, but it's just entertainment and I was entertained.