5. The Football Factory
In the same way that Nick Love seemed to think showing us Ray Winstone bumbling his way around a woman in a toilet cubicle whilst breathing heavily was a great idea (see 'The Sweeny'), he also seems to have missed the point when looking at the subject of the Football Hooliganism here on our fair British Isles. With The Football Factory, much like the equally terrible 'Green Street' (think of any actor in the world to play a football hooligan...Got one? I am guessing you haven't thought of Elijah Wood), Love's approach seems to be less gritty realism of say Gary Oldman in 'The Firm' (A TV film about football violence that is actually negative towards what is portrayed) opting to instead inject a supposed humour and glamorised sheen to football fan louts. Despite its trappings, no amount of ignorant, stereotypically hard, swear by the minute cockneys or track suit wearing, Stanley Knife wielding Scousers can detract the ugly truth this film fails to show in an obvious light. There is a complete shame of a nation to be found here. Echoed to the outside world via high profile cases in real life, barbaric hooligans are ten a penny in the world of football, with almost every team supposedly worth their salt having some sort of faction of meat heads only wanting to do one thing on a Saturday afternoon while everyone else enjoys the game - Fight. The Football Factory is a full of many things, but the one thing it does leave you with is an almost celebratory ending for all things violent, which is why it gets on this list. Not only is it a shameful film in terms of its content, it also seems to say 'Yeah, some people might get in trouble or seriously hurt during all this, but its still a great laugh bottling some guys face on a Saturday'. For most there is the one factor that seems to go begging throughout its entire running time; what happened to the actual football? Unfortunately for this Island we call home, these thugs couldn't care less or be further removed from the joys of the Beautiful Game.