Today I watched the 2005 film Green Street Hooligans starring Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam, and directed by Lexi Alexander. Elijah Wood is Matt Buckner, a journalism student at Harvard. Unfortunately, as the movie begins, we see he has just been expelled for something he didn’t even do. His wealthy roommate did. Unfortunately, Buckner takes the fall, fearing the wealth and power of his roommates family, he doesn’t even stand up for himself. He travels to England to visit his sister, whom he hasn’t seen in some time.

Upon his arrival in England, Buckner soon meets his brother-in-law’s brother, Pete Dunham (Charlie Hunnam), the leader of a group of football (soccer) hooligans cheering on West Ham United FC. The group is known as the Green Street Elite, more commonly referred to in the film as GSE. Buckner quickly becomes embroiled in the controversy and fighting you would expect from a group of hooligans.

But there is more to the Green Street Elite than simply fighting against the hooligans of the opposing football teams on match day. It is about camaraderie, standing up for your friends, and knowing that your friends will stand up for you. The hooliganism portrayed in the film seems to be at least partially realistic to British football hooliganism, as the story was written by Dougie Brimson, a former football hooligan himself who has written several books on the topic.

If you don’t enjoy violence, then this isn’t the film for you. If you have a really difficult time understand British accents, then this isn’t the film for you. But if you enjoy well-made films featuring real life struggles, then this film is simply fantastic. You wouldn’t think you could learn a lot about yourself hanging out with football hooligans, but you’d be wrong. I highly recommend you check it out.

Matt’s Rating:

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