The Firm (1988)

This is the original TV drama 'The Firm' with Gary Oldman, not the more than likely shit remake (I know it got solid reviews but aren't fans of the originals supposed to shun all remakes?). I see myself as a bit of an Alan Clarke fan but after finding this DVD in my christmas stocking I seem to be discovering more and more about the guy and realising more so than ever just how little I knew about him. Enjoy the review. (it's another positive one).



There are no screenshots in this entry, mainly because I have a new mac and the DVD playing software wouldn't let me take snapshots. Printscreen conveniently doesn't copy the image of the DVD on this mac either and then VLC crashed whenever I attempted to open the DVD in it. Then a google search got me about two images, so I thought fuck it.  But hey, maybe this week you'll actually read the review instead of looking at the pictures!


So not only was this movie a great experience but it gave me reason to explore the vast internet and find out a little more about Alan Clarke, I didn't know he died of Cancer in the early 1990's and I had no idea that this was the last feature length drama he ever made (Elephant was only about half an hour), but I do now and so do you. See, learn something everyday! 


This movie is 'surprisingly' about 'firms' (if you don't know what they are then you must be American) but don't worry this Englishmen will explain. They are gangs of hoodlums who fight under the banner of their favourite teams, yup that's pretty much it, really it has nothing to do with the teams and seems to simply be an excuse to beat the snot out of someone else and get really really pissed on loads of beer. You know like proper lads. No skinny jeans and straightened hair around here, these are real men. 


And I guess that's what makes this film so shocking. The guys in this movie have homes and families and kids, they arrange fights formally in hotel rooms and then the moment they start fighting that 'normal' person disappears and a monster replaces them. You could know these guys, they could have smiled at you over a counter somewhere or been a nice voice on the end of a phone. Plus the violence is realistic, it looks almost silly but that's how real fights are. If you're looking for polished stylistic fight sequences, you won't find them here. All you have here is hard hitting, gritty realism that'll either shock you to the core or make you laugh at how silly it looks. 


Should you watch this? If you're British, then yeah, it's a great look into the past, kinda like a history lesson only interesting and if you like your realism, you'll love this. Also if you're a Gary Oldman fan, he gives another amazing performance here. Plus there are some surprises and shocks along the way to keep even stupid people interested. But if you're American or only like fight scenes using wires and millions of dollars of CGI then you'll probably get nothing outta this, sucks to be you. 


Think about it!


Locke