THE FIRM: fog's review
August 1st 2011 08:50
Bex and his thug 'FIRM'
The Firm (2009) directed and written/adapted for screen by Nick Love, is a remake and rewrite of the original long running British television series of the same name, written by Al Ashton.
Director Nick Love (The Football factory, The Business, Outlaw) further explores the terrifying territory of football hooliganism, with its emotionally retarded gang leaders and their juvenile followers who love to bask in the glory of winning a street fight, with little regard for innocent bystanders, they smash and bash their opponents with whatever is at hand.
It is a distasteful sub-culture that those whom live outside Britain and Germany in particular, find appalling and incomprehensible, for it seems an outlet for sociopathy on a grand scale.
However, this story takes an interesting view of this sub-culture, by showing how a young and impressionable teenager, Dom (played by Calum McNab; The Football Factory, Ahead of the Class) desperate to join the ‘adult’ world before he is emotionally matured, sees a local gang’s leader, Bex (played by Paul Anderson; The Promise, Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me), as his role model.
Bex puts Dom in his place
Bex portrays all the exteriorly tough guy stances, he rules his gang with his mouth and by his physical threats, but he just doesn’t want to support his football team, he wants to smash and bash supporters of other teams, ironically called ‘firms’, and they want to do the same to him and his firm.
It really is a riveting film, as we descend into their emotionally juvenile world, where school playground bullies find a place to retain their pseudo power position over weaker folk, thereby disguising their own weaknesses, by having a large group around them.
The Bex character allows Dom to join his gang, after he proves himself in a gang fight. But soon the gang sees Dom emulating their leader, even to the point of dressing like him; this comes to the fore when Bex’s lieutenant Trigger (played by Doug Allen; Franklyn, Gangster No.1, One True Thing) ridicules Dom in front of everyone because of his overt devotion to Bex.
It is a kind of puppy bromance; it is also the attraction of belonging to a group and sharing in power, protection and having your self-esteem falsely inflated by a bunch of thugs that lures this boy Dom into their world.
However, Bex soon has his own esteem challenged by a rival gang leader Yeti (played by Daniel Mays; The Bank Job, Atonement, Vera Drake). Bex’s ego is bruised by Yeti’s rejection of Bex forming a large multi-gang group to combat the German gangs, readying for the European football tours, Yeti doesn’t want Bex as their quasi-leader and so Bex decides to show him who is tougher.
The ensuing assault is repelled easily by the well armed Yeti mob, showing up Bex’s stupidity by venturing into their rival’s territory, so Bex hatches a plan, a surprise attack.
Yeti faces up with a baseball bat
The result is a violent assault in a train station which results in death.
Dom is faced now with the reality of the depth to which these morons are prepared to delve, and he does not like what he sees.
Although much younger than Bex, Dom, in that moment of insight becomes the more mature of the two.
I found this film to be fascinating from the start, although I did not like the subject matter, as gang leaders are all about themselves, their pathetic childish egos, their stupid followers and the intimidation and harm of those weaker than them.
By the halfway point in this film, I began to see the broader scope of intent by the director and that made watching the rest of it riveting viewing.
Written and directed by Nick Love, this should be essential viewing for all kids in Britain, for in the end it is a valuable insight into the real nature of these threatening groups, and their emotionally retarded and pathetic members.
AVAILABLE FOR RENT OR PURCHASE ON BLU-RAY AND DVD FROM JULY 13TH 2011.
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All images copyright presumed that of Production Company and/or Distributor and Publisher, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Images used here for illustration of product for critical review only, low res copies, not meant for redistribtuion.
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