Green Street Hooligans, a Review

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It seems it is unusual for a woman to enjoy this type of movie as the violence is extreme; however, when that violence is based on true events and is essential to the growth of the character it becomes easier to accept. The fighting portrayed in this movie falls into that category; it is something that young people often become involved in to demonstrate their power and it can only be hoped that they learn early enough that there is a better way to stand your ground and prove your worth.

Director Lexi Alexander’s Green Street Hooligans begins with a brawl in the London underground but quickly cuts to Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood), a journalism student at Harvard, clearing out his dorm room; he has been expelled for drug possession and feels he can’t stand up for himself against the power of his roommates’ family; furthermore, to avoid telling his father, he flies to London to stay with his sister (Claire Forlani) and her husband (Marc Warren). Here Buckner meets the brawler we were introduced to in the first scene, Pete Dunham (Charlie Hunnam), the leader of the local football firm, the Green Street Elite. The GSE is a band of professional men that violently support the West Ham United Football Club, regularly mixing it up with rival firms in support of their own teams. As this story unfolds, Buckner realizes: “I’ve never lived closer to danger, but I've never felt safer. I've never felt more confident, and people could spot it from a mile away. And as for this, the violence? I gotta be honest - it grew on me. Once you've taken a few punches and realize you're not made of glass, you don't feel alive unless you're pushing yourself as far as you can go.’ (Wood) The events of this story lift Buckner to the point where he can face...

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... placed his wife and child over football, but, in his own way, the child of his rival and it is confirmed when Buckner’s sister takes her son and leaves her husband for stepping back into that world, even momentarily. As Matt Buckner states “Pete Dunham's life taught me there's a time to stand your ground, and his death taught me there's a time to walk away.” (Wood) This is a lesson everyone should learn – do not live in fear, do not be pushed around by those that have more money or power, but at the same time, do not be someone who takes advantage where it is you who are in the position of strength. Always stand in integrity and live as someone that can be counted on.

Works Cited

Green Street Hooligans. Dir. Lexi Alexander. Perf. Elijah Wood. 2005.

Jay, Terence. "One Blood." Green Street Hooligans Soundtrack. By Charlie and Ivan Koutikov Midnight. 2005.

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