After The Football Factory, I swore I wouldn’t watch any more Hooligan movies. They seem to be a genre of violence, sex, and drugs, with a little bit of football as context. As in, we gotta go to a West Ham game on the way to the violence, sex, and drugs we are going to do.
And I don’t understand why it’s always West Ham hooligans.
Anyway, I was fooled because the Netflix title of this movie is Meet the Firm: Revenge in Rio. I didn’t even realize this film is the third episode in a White Collar Hooligan trilogy landscaped by Director Paul Tanter and actor Simon Phillips.
Fortunately, Tanter quickly covers the backstory so that new viewers are brought up to speed. There are about 5 murders in the first 5 minutes, mostly by bare hands, since the NRA does not exist in the UK. Tanter’s goal is to never dwell on the violence, so the acts are swift. Although, the perpetrators are prone to try and talk their victims to death, and every death scene is Shakespearean.
The sex, on the other hand, is fairly studious of breasts. The only woman who doesn’t bare hers gets shot in the head. So what does that teach young women?
The plot is pretty straightforward. Eddie Hill (Phillips) seeks to avenge the death of his hooligan buddy Mike. He is joined by Mike’s half-brother Damien (a studly Josh Myers). They pursue the murderous Russian drug lord Dimitri to WC 2014 in Rio. The only major inconsistency in the story was how Eddie morphed from a bare hands killer to a glib but uncool Bruce Willis-type, anxious about being in a cell with a bunch of Brazilian criminals.
3 movies in 3 years
There are a lot of comedic moments in the film, and the last scene is a good laugh. it’s also quite comical how the soccer connection consists of hooligan gang fights in which Eddie and Damien suddenly stop and walk off for a cup of coffee. The rest of the soccer is a few crowd shots in a stadium.
I have to admire a team that puts together a low-budget trilogy in less than 3 years. But it kinda shows. The cinematography is poor. On an entertainment value, I guess I’ve seen a lot worse. Anyway, it was good enough that I had to finish watching and then review it. But you know what? You could experience most of the movie by just watching the trailer.
5 Soccer Movie Mom Rating = 5
Resources:
- Released: 2014-07-01 (UK)
- Also known as The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan 3
- IMDB
- Director: Paul Tanter and on twitter
- Stars: Simon Phillips , Josh Myers
- Watch the Trailer (I could not embed the trailer)
- Director Paul Tanter Website
