Movie Review: The Firm (2009, Warner Bros)

...Sports Hooliganism. Good Grief!! After having shockingly, albeit intriguingly read the synopsis of 2009's "The Firm", but before partaking of the film itself, this clueless viewer genuinely had to look that term up...investigate the phenomenon, so to speak...and to reiterate...GOOD GRIEF!!! I mean, don't get me wrong: I haven't been totally ignorant of violence in sports, as far as spectator team support, taken to a ridiculously visceral level; why, the news media, on these domestic shores, is often replant with tasty tidbits of way-too-obsessed spectators, getting way too carried away with the 'rah, rah, rah...go git' 'em, team' reverie, that they begin to beat the crap out of any random anyone, rooting for the other guy. However, these graphic news break visuals seem to typically restrict themselves to singular incidents...one-on-one's, or in one-in-a-blue-moon times, crazed mobs, blind-rage storming the sports event field, itself. In films, it almost seems like the study of 'sports hooliganism' is a sub-genre, unto itself, with...for this viewer...unseen, though reportedly tense and unflinching dramas, typically set in Great Britain, like 2005's "Green Street Hooligans", 2008's "Cass", amongst others. And this...this eye-opening look at rampant sports spectator violence...though, reportedly much more diluted and melodramatic than it's inspiring predecessor...the original "Firm", circa 1989...it still embraces the seemingly mindless essence of the activity...

Movie Review: The Sweeney (2012, DVD)

Review By: Rob Sibley

“The Sweeney” is Nick Love's re-imagining of the classic 1975 British TV series. Love had a tough task on his hands, the original Sweeney TV show was immensely popular back in the day and has built up a huge cult following. Fans of the series scoffed when they first heard that Nick Love was developing it for a film adaptation. Were they justified? Did Nick Love do the show justice and still be able to put his own spin on it? The answer to those questions is a mixed bag.

Now I got to say before I discuss the film I was a huge fan of the original TV series. My Dad is a big fan of British television and he was the one who first exposed me to classic shows like The Avengers, Fawlty Towers, vintage Doctor Who, The Prisoner and The Sweeney. The original Sweeney TV series was probably the most gritty cop show around till “The Shield” showed up. Each episode had that gritty urban decay vibe that the original “Get Carter” had. The film wasn't afraid to show violence, language and have coppers doing things that aren’t necessarily legal but things that needed to be done. The show also relied heavily on the chemistry of it's leads who brought a blue collar worker quality to their roles which made them easy to relate to.