Green Street Hooligans isn’t so much a film about the phenomenon of soccer hooliganism as much as it is about learning when to stand up for yourself and when to walk away. This is almost a direct quote from the film itself, but I really agree with it.

Elijah Wood plays the role of Matt Buckner, a journalism student who is expelled from Harvard two weeks prior to graduation because his roommate hid cocaine among Matt’s possessions. His roommate happens to be the kid of a major politician. So instead of fighting the charge, he goes to stay with his sister, Shannon (Forlani) in England.

Shannon is married with a baby. Matt has never visited her before, even though she’s been in England for over three years. Within hours of Matt’s arrival, he is pawned off on Shannon’s husband’s brother. Her husband, Steve (Warren), has planned a romantic evening that Matt’s arrival interferes with. So Matt agrees to go with Pete (Hunnam), the brother, to a soccer match.

What follows is some shocking violence but also some surprising drama.

I read a book about soccer hooliganism when I was studying sociology. I was fascinated by it. It may appear on the surface to be a lot of ignorant machismo about a sports game. But at its core, it is about finding a sense of belonging. Ultimately, this is the basis of any gang, which the groups of hooligans (referred to as Firms) essentially are.

Many people comment on how they don’t understand why people join gangs. This is a reaction to the violence associated with them. I don’t condone the violence. But you cannot dismiss it so easily, either. If you find acceptance in a gang, you can ignore all of its negative factors, such as violence.

Green Street Hooligans does an excellent job of making this point. It presents an understanding of the phenomenon within the context of a family drama. The hooliganism is really a subtext to the storyline involving a rival Firm leader, Tommy Hatcher (Bell).

I enjoyed the voyeuristic view of soccer hooliganism, and enjoyed watching the dynamics of the characters, which were very well-written and deeply developed. I most enjoyed watching the growth of the character, Matt, who goes from being quite passive to rather aggressive. But his aggressiveness is not just in his physical actions; he learns to be aggressive in his actions without having to resort to violence.

I love this movie. Having said that, I wanted to also respond to Mitch E’s review of the film.

We do seem to agree that this is a good film, but I do think I liked it more than he did. I do think that I perhaps examined the film from a different perspective, as a filmmaker and sociologist.

I half agree with Mitch’s inference that Wood is taking a role like this to shed his Frodo-isms. I do believe that is likely part of the appeal; in that we agree. I disagree that this role wouldn’t accomplish that. This role paired with his character in Sin City, (Kevin, a cannibalistic serial killer), should go a long way to helping us see Wood as someone other than Frodo.

Mitch states, “Violence over a game is stupid.” My opinion is that the violence is not about the game. Please refer to my above comments on how it is about acceptance and belonging. Maybe you missed it because of the thick accents. I may have missed a line or two because of accents, which I actually didn’t find to be that thick. I found the accents on Snatch much thicker and cumbersome. Regardless, the point of the story comes across without having to catch every single bit of dialog.

As far as the shaky camera movements used during fight scenes, that is a common directorial choice to add to the chaotic mood of a scene. And it is a bit necessary to alter the frame rate or the steadiness of the camera so that the action doesn’t look fake.

Regarding the DVD extras, I must agree with Mitch again on this point. They are pretty lame, especially by today’s standards. There is a whole 10 minutes worth. But I did like the making of bit. It gave some further insight to the film and showed one scene that once you have watched the whole film, to watch this scene again puts it in a new light.

In summary, Green Street Hooligans is a great film. There is a lot to be taken away from it, which is what any good film should offer.

Just be sure not to ever refer to soccer as such in England, especially around any hooligans. It is called football. If you call it soccer…well, you’ve been warned.

Grade: A