Hey folks, Harry here with Maria Von Trapp and her look at a bit of the ol ultra-violence! Now, I know she used to be a nun, but that life wasn't for her... Instead of putting on musical plays with her daughter though, she helps little Liesl make her feature Zombie movie. Ahhh, parenting in the 21st century is so much better! Romero, what hath thou wrought? Literally everyone I run into here that has seen HOOLIGANS has sung its praises - here's another one for you!
Hi Harry,
One of the people representing Hooligans asked that, if we liked the movie, to write in to AICN.
I know I am not one of your official reviewers, but I don't think this movie is getting nearly the coverage it ought to get, so, after seeing this movie 2 times now, I am going to write a quick review because Liesl and I agree, this movie is awesome. You can use this review or not, but there is only one showing of Hooligans left at SXSW.
HOOLIGANS
Like Ong Bak, this movie is not about gangs or violence or even "football"...it is about finding what is missing from life and the journey of the protagonist to find it.
Matt Buckner just walks away from his future and his own talent in the beginning of this movie.
We are given the superficial reason, but we cannot help but feel immediately that he gives up "without a fight" he just resigns himself to it and then "runs away". It seems maddening that he does this, but at the same time, so many of us do the same thing in small ways everyday that we relate. Essentially this is the set-up for his personal transformation.
He gets drawn into the completely foreign world of football firms or gangs. His naivety leads the way, because he really doesn't know how deep and dark this world is, even though we, the audience, are given a glimpse of it at the beginning of the movie. For the first time, Matt gets a taste of loyalty and friendship that seem to expand his world to a sense of belonging which has been missing from his privileged but solitary academic life. But he is still naive. As Americans in the same unfamiliar world of the football firms, we go right along with him because of the down to earth appeal of being a "regular" guy, and the treat of seeing a real West Ham United match with real fans complete with all the frenzy and excitement. But we are also drawn by the charm of Pete, the head of the West Ham United firm, who happens to be Matt's sister's brother-in-law. Pete is played brilliantly by actor Charlie Hunnam.
The violence of the brawls that ensue to protect the reputation of the firms and the teams they "represent" is handled extremely well in this film. Bloody, "gritty" and adrenaline-pumping bare fist fights without weapons where wit, nerve and fighting ability are all the tools the firms use to maintain their reputation. Occasional sticks, stones and broken beer bottles find their way into the fights and when they do, they are usually used as an indication of dirty fighting or survival. The movie in no-way glorifies violence or even justifies it. The fights just become an important part of the story and the transformation of Matt.
I will not say more of about this movie because people just need to see it themselves and I don't like too summarize a movie as much as I like to share my feelings about it.
Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, and the rest of the cast are all top-notch. Hooligans has been one of the highlights of SXSW this year for me. I hope that everyone who wants to see this film gets a chance and I would love to see an American general release of the movie. Best of luck to Lexi Alexander.
Maria Von Trapp
