6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Dom, a young wannabe football casual, gets drawn into the charismatic but dangerous world of the firm's top boy, Bex. Accepted for his fast mouth and sense of humor, Dom soon becomes one of the boys. But as Bex and his gang clash with rival firms across the country and the violence spirals out of control, Dom realizes he wants out--until he learns it's not that easy to simply walk away.
Starring: Calum MacNab, Paul Anderson (XVIII), Daniel Mays, Doug Allen, Joe Jackson (IX)Drama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Though fans on either side of “the pond” (AKA the Atlantic) may have a different sport in mind when they say “football”, it’s kind of interesting that made for television movies have provided two of the most memorable entertainments that have at least a tangential relationship to either (American) football or soccer. On this side of the Atlantic, the tearjerking biopic Brian’s Song is still thought of as one of the most emotionally moving football-centric films ever made, whether for the large or the small screen. In 1989, British television viewers were both shocked and compelled by a made for television outing called The Firm, an outing which detailed the extreme lengths some soccer fans go to in support of their favorite team. The term “hooligan” is often thrown around in America as a sort of bland, almost ironically post- modern, word referring to bad behavior, but in Britain it refers to much more inherently violent behavior, and so-called “football hooliganism” is the focus of this 2009 big screen remake of the original made for television film.
The Firm is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Though perhaps hobbled slightly by the drab and dreary world they're depicting, director Nick Love and cinematographer Matt Gray offer occasional bright pops of color that look sharp and appealing in this high definition transfer. There's a verité aspect to some of the scenes which tend to look somewhat soft simply because the camera isn't stationary, but overall this is a clear and very filmic presentation that does not suffer from any overt digital tweaking. Contrast is very strong and black levels are similarly excellent.
The Firm's thumping eighties' soundtrack is one of its better elements, and one which creates some of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix's most convincing surround aspects. There are several big crowd scenes in the film that also benefit from excellent immersion. On the other hand, the film has a lot of quieter, more relatively intimate dialogue scenes, which are presented with clarity and precision.
Nick Love may have simply been seduced by the challenges of bringing his focal era to life, for this iteration of The Firm seems strangely fixated on external appearances rather than internal motivations. For those who follow the increasingly violent world of football hooliganism, this film will probably have more impact than for the public at large, but there's no denying the kind of gut wrenching reality the film at least occasionally depicts. Technical merits here are very strong, and with some caveats in mind, The Firm comes Recommended.
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15th Anniversary Edition | Director's Cut | Includes Theatrical Cut DVD
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Gold Edition
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