Green Street Hooligans

MPAA Rating: R

Entertainment: +2

Content: -3 1/2

In this narrated drama, journalism major Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood) is wrongly expelled from Harvard just two months shy of his graduation. Feeling the pressure of being the golden boy son of a highly regarded foreign correspondent, Matt flees to London to stay a while with his sister, Shannon Dunham (Claire Forlani). A chance run-in with Shannons dangerous and boisterous brother-in-law, Pete Dunham (Charlie Hunnam), leads Matt to an education that no ivy-league school could teach him. Matt finds friendship in the Green Street Elite, a dark and secret underground world of soccer gangs and hooliganism where loyalty and honor meet violence and revenge. His deepening relationship with Pete, a man whose humanity lies just below the surface of his thug-like exterior, teaches him that its all about taking care of your friends.

Green Street Hooligans is an intriguing film, but its message of loyalty and honor is undermined by excessive brutal violence and pervasive obscene language. There are more than 100 occurrences of the f-word and s-word alone. In a film that is 109 minutes, it is a curse-word-a-minute film, literally. Violence is an intricate part of the boys of the Green Street Elite, and it is even glorified as their reputations are legendary in their communities. Once the fighting begins, it is an all-out brawl as blood spurts, bones break and skulls crush. No real consequences for the boys actions are evident other than the physical scars they wear the next morning. While the intricacies of the plot and unexpected turns might hold viewers attention, the raw portrayal of such violence and obscenity is too much to stomach.

Preview Reviewer: Kellie Parmar
Distributor: Freestyle Releasing

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Many (10) times moderate (b-stard 1, t-ts 1); strong (-ss 8)

Obscene Language: Many (100+) times moderate (p-ss 3); strong (f-word 90+, s-word 10+, c-ck 1, c-nt 8)

Profanity: Several (5) times strong (J 2, C 2, JC 1)

Violence: Many mild (two brothers shove and grab forcefully at one another during a heated argument, wife slaps angrily at a man who has just caused severe injury to her husband); moderate (gang violence is portrayed in many scenes; gang members punch, kick, stomp and beat one another mercilessly in alleyways and bars; gang leader attacks innocent patrons in a restaurant by slamming the husbands head into the table repeatedly while screaming obscenities at the wife; during another gang fight, a 12-year-old boy is crushed under a pile of fighting men; a man tries to break into a car to attack a woman and her baby; man is stabbed by broken bottle in the neck causing blood to spurt out onto the attacker and victim; in a final battle between two opposing gangs, men are beaten about the head and body with fists, feet and pipes causing extreme blood loss and broken bones; older man beats a younger man in the head and face repeatedly until he finally dies)

Sex: Few mild (kissing and embracing between husband and wife)

Nudity: None

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Few moderate (man questions two gang members sexuality through a crude joke, man uses hand gesture to simulate self-gratification)

Drugs: Several mild (implied that cigarette smoking relieves stress during intense moments); moderate (several scenes of mass drunkenness by gang members in a bar, man drowns his sorrows in a bottle of liquor then passes out on park bench); strong (man shown snorting cocaine in a bathroom stall)

Other: Participation in the gang and its subsequent violence is portrayed as being honorable and loyal and is considered as having your friends back; violent actions of some gang members are seen as noble and offer the men legend-like reputations in their community; authorities seem to have no effect or presence, and there are no legal consequences for the actions of these gangs; natural consequences for actions are death, extreme injury and alienation from particular family members and friends

Running Time: 109 minutes
Intended Audience: Adults

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