The Firm (DVD 2004)

Originally made for TV, this 1980s British film follows the leader of a football hooligan crew called The Inner City Crew. Bex Bissell (Gary Oldman) is typical of the yuppie culture - an estate agent, wears nice suits, has a wife and child and a lovely house. But when it comes to his leadership in the ICC he's as brutal and ruthless as expected from a gang leader. He decides that his crew should take out two other crews before he leads the hooligans to Europe to fight with their gangs as part of one big British Firm.

The film is based on the activities of the real life Inter City Firm, football crew of West Ham United during the 1970s and 1980s. Rival football fans battle it out on the streets and the violence is as graphic as you'd expect from Alan "Scum" Clarke. Week by week they fight relentlessly, but as the European Championship's draw closer, one of the gang leaders must come out on top in order to lead The Firm to Europe.

The film features a wealth of British acting talent including Philip Davis and Charles Lawson, plus UK soapstars like Steve McFadden and Martin Barrass. It moves so quickly it's more documentary like, and you'd think you were watching one if it wasn't for the familiar actors faces.

No other director has captured male aggression on film with the keen eye of Alan Clarke. Clarke's specialties are anger and violence, and he captures them with a brutal precision that belies the inherent messiness of the action. Along with Scum and Made in Britain, The Firm cements Clarke’s reputation as a gritty realist director. It was his final film before his death from cancer in 1990.

a classic film with a good storyline its a look into rival football firms who after various misunderstndings and power struggles decide to unite at the world cup but various incidents disrupt.............. well now its time to view before i give it away haha ENJOY FOLKS! ITS AGOOD FILM AND IM GLAD AFTER SEARCHING FOR SO LONG OVER THE YEARS MY EBAY PAL HAD SO I GOT A COPY! THANKS VAMPIRA

this film is fantastic.i was around in the 70s and 80s at west ham (which is the base of the film)and yes,maybe things are a bit exagerated in this dvd,but the film was made years ago and is true to life as possible.if the film was made recently im sure it would top football factory and green st.a great film full of great british actors......

I think the DVD I bought was good because it looked new in cse and played very well. The only thing I didnt like about it though was the actual film, I heard good things about it from mates but in my opinion didnt live up to expectations.

considering this drama was filmed 20 odd years ago i think the above review(ccfc skyblue army) is a bit harsh. yes it seems dated compared to modern films of this subject, but were you there when it was released?as for football factory,total tosh watch green street instead!!

This film follows a fictional group of "football hooligans" as they battle with other firms in the country. I wouldn't recommend this film at all, the fight scenes are so unrealistic it's untrue, it's so eash to tell they aren't making contact and such which spoils the moment.

The 'top boys' are quite frankly a laughing stock!

Go and get Football Factory instead!

Have always wanted this since I saw it on TV. I had it on cideo tape but I could not trace it as a DVD elsewhere.

film recomended to me dy a friend. and it hasend dissapointed me at all, found this film on e bay fof a fantastick price and the rest is history cant thank the seller enough.

I decided to try and buy it because it was an early russell crowe film.
Unfortunately the seller did not deliver...paypal however are on the case but it seems they cant guarantee a refund this undermines my confidence in paypal

i have yet to view the film.i saw it years ago) however,i was very impressedat the speed i recieved the item.excellent

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From the director of Scum this is a good football gang story. Loads of familiar faces from the soon to be Hollywood star Gary Oldman to Phil Mitchell from Eastenders, Mickey Pearce from Fools and Horses and even Benny from Grange Hill. There's even a scene at Selhurst Park!

At the time it was made there were calls for it to be banned and the Sun described it as "the most powerful and disturbing drama since Scum."

Gary Oldman is Bex Bissell, a respectable estate agent who loves his wife,loves his son and loves his violence. Bex is the leader of a gang of football supporters known as the Inter-City Crew - his firm. (Sound familiar!?)

He plans to unite rival firms and lead them all to the European Championship in Germany, a chance to take on the locals. But that's a position he's going to have to fight for.

With its graphic scenes of running battles with knives, sledgehammers and baseball bats the Firm caused quite a stir in it's day.

The ICC motto:
"We come in peace, we leave you in pieces!"

I bought this film as a friend recommended to me but I found it terribly dated.
Will probably give to the friend as a Christmas present