Very Cool!!!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Long before Nick Love was helping stockpile DVD bargain bins with those terrible football hooligan movies (including a remake of this film), Alan Clarke - the highly underrated director responsible for such landmark British TV dramas Scum (1979) and Made in Britain (1982) - released The Firm, causing a moral public outcry that was the fashion of Thatcher-era Britain in the process. On the surface, it seems to glamorise these yobs and their violent tendencies, but viewing it in hindsight, it's actually about a Britain suddenly awash with money during the 'Lawson Boom', with the thugs caught up in it having grown bored and seeking out that extra buzz they receive from brutality.Although they are essentially 'football' hooligans, Clarke makes a point of showing little of the game itself. Apart from the glimpse of Arsenal's old Highbury stadium and a Sunday-league kick-about at the start, the beautiful game is little more than an excuse for these idiots to go to town on each other. ICC ringleader Bex (Gary Oldman) hopes to unite rival firms in order to take on the Europeans in the upcoming Europeans Championships, but his opposite numbers, including the particularly loathsome Yeti (Philip Davis) of the Buccaneers, inform him that his firm must rumble with theirs first if he wants to be top dog. This however is only a loose plot that binds together what is ultimately a slice-of-life approach.While the media portrayed these men as disaffected youth, a lot of them were in fact middle-class, able to afford fancy cars and suburban housing. Bex is happily married with a young son, making a comfortable living as an estate agent. When his son picks up his father's Stanley knife and starts to chew it, Bex's domestic life is thrown into disarray. It's in these quieter moments that the film is at its most disturbing, and in truth, there is less violence on show than the controversy drummed up on its release would have you believe. And when it does come - a young ICC member gets a particularly nasty face slashing - its all the more powerful. The open-ended final scene holds back from making any overt social or political statements but instead lingers with an observant fascination at these lager-swilling arseholes. Like with Scum and Made in Britain, The Firm defines the mentality of Britain at the time, and features what is undoubtedly Oldman's finest performance.

The Firm is one of the most enjoyable films of the hooligan genre ever made. Although it was made for TV on what was obviously a very small budget, The Firm outshines its modern day, big screen counterparts such as Green Street and The Football Factory.Gary Oldman is superb and utterly convincing as Bex, the cocky estate agent who leads a double life as a violent member of the ICC, the West Ham hooligan firm of which he is 'Top Boy'. As the film progresses, Bex becomes more and more unstable as a result of his almost pathological obsession with defeating the leader of a rival firm named 'Yeti'. This obsession impacts on his family life to a great extent and culminates with Bex's untimely demise at the hands of his bitter rival.The cast is awash with recognisable (and typecast) British TV actors such as Steve McFadden from Eastenders. Oldman shines amongst them and he perfectly captures the violent mentality of Bex with his seething fits of pure rage. His performance shifts from arrogant comedian to brutal maniac throughout the movie.Certain elements of the film are disappointing, not least the ending which is far fetched it has to be said. However, at just over an hour in length, the film needed a definite conclusion in a short space of time. Also, some of the casting choices are poor, especially the character of young Dominic who is a totally unconvincing hooligan, even as an "under 5", a young newcomer to the ICC.People always complain that hooligan films are never realistic enough. My answer to that would be that there are plenty of documentaries out there on the subject. This is drama, and whereas The Firm does not offer complete realism, it is as close a dramatic depiction to real football violence as there is. Far more so than say, I.D, which was just plain ridiculous.Overall, The Firm is a great piece of raw film and well worth watching for Oldman's performance alone. It perfectly encapsulates the era of hooliganism in the greedy, late 1980's.Eight out of Ten

I have tried without success to buy this film through friends who have visited England during the years that I have been away. Despite the fact I avoided football through the 'boy' years, I thought this film was fantastic, and Gary Oldman showed his talents in everything he made after it.

His last masterpiece. Alan Clarke of Scum and Made in Britain fame tackles the subject of football hooliganism deftly and precisely exposing the unique structures of the hooligans while utterly scornful of it. If Made in Britain is Clarke's finest and Scum is Clarke's most famous, this has to be his most underrated. totally convincing, Clarke shows a true understanding of both his subject and of the medium in general. using the documentary style to a devastated effect, the film has a feeling of utter truth, Gary Oldman in particular conveys that as an actor giving an extraordinary performance of raw power as the chief hooligan. Sadly people regard The Firm only as a Tom Cruise vehicle where in fact hidden away is something far more powerful, far more exciting and far more real, as a result it seems that the film conveys more about the brutality of hooliganism than even news reports do as reports tends to cater for an audience, this obviously doesn't and is hard as nails and totally uncompromising.This knocks the similar I.D into a cocked hat. Undoubtedly one of the finest British films of the 80's. this is simply a must see and finally when Clarke died less than two years later, England lost one of it's finest, more realistic filmmakers.