13. The Football Factory (2004)
Tommy is a football hooligan and a member of the Chelsea firm. He has his fellow football fans - Rod King, Billy Bright, Zeberdee and Raf. They spend their days drinking, taking drugs, womanising and kicking people about the place. Tommy's grandfather Bill is a war veteran disgusted by Tommy's antics, and planning to leave England with his friend Albert. Tommy squares off against a Tottenham crew. With a group of fellow thugs he gets arrested for attacking two Stoke City fans at an away match. Harris, the leader of the Chelsea firm is none too impressed. Various traumas happen to our group of football hooligans. Bill is left heartbroken after Albert dies - leaving his dreams up in the air. There is a showdown between the Chelsea firm and Millwall hooligans. Tommy decides to stick with his friends in the Chelsea hooligans. A rare and insightful look into the world of football hooliganism, The Football Factory paints a good portrait of the kind of people who get caught up in that lifestyle. It is debatable whether the film shows football hooliganism in a negative or positive light, the director Nick Lowe avoids simple moralising in the film, he deals more with realism - for example, having the main characters constantly swearing. This is not gratuitous - it is simply how people of this ilk speak. A film that reminded me much of Trainspotting - in the characters' pursuit of a life style beyond the mainstream, everything is authentic in the film. This makes the film interesting beyond the average football fan's movie and it becomes a story that has great relevance for society and the individual as a whole. Very brutal viewing.