Green Street Hooligans

The crops hit the stiffs
An' the spikes whipped the quiffs
They're all looking 'round
For the last gang in town

I suppose it would be more apropos to quote Cockney Rejects, as closely associated as those particular and particularly impertinent street punks are with the West Ham United's perplexing anthem, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles. In fact, given the subject, the absence of CR or anything remotely Oi! is telling — Green Street is not a UK version of The Warriors. Alas. Modern hooligan firms as depicted are probably more familiar with Fred Durst than Jimmy Pursey. So no points for taste. All the same, and despite the unwelcome presence of the feeble Elijah Wood, and despite the fact that the gruesome little clot does not sustain enough damage to pop his cheeping chicklet skull, this is a passably entertaining movie. I learned something about the social structure of football hooliganery, enjoyed some crunchy knuckledusting for sport, and was actually impressed with the besotted authenticity of one scene of communal pre-match pregaming.

I hear The Firm (1988) with Gary Oldman is a superior treatment of the subject.