Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Firm Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 11, 2014

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 plays like a kind of flip side to the fan element that was at the center of another recent Twilight Time release, Fever Pitch. Here, the “togetherness” forged by lovers of a soccer team doesn’t build camaraderie, but conflict. While the original television film had the star power of Gary Oldman to hold viewers’ attention, the big screen adaptation, while offering nice performances from a focal duo of Calum MacNab, a somewhat aimless teen looking for a role model and Bex (Paul Anderson), an older street tough who is the leader of a local “firm”, i.e., band of hooligans, The Firm seems to be as intent on recreating the external realities of an era (the eighties) as it is in exploring the interior realities of the characters. The film has a good, gritty, working class ambience, but it, like the term “football” itself, may not translate all that well on this side of the pond.

The Firm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Firm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Isolated Score Track is in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Audio Commentary with Director Nick Love


• The Making of The Firm (480p; 23:15)


• Deleted and Alternate Scenes (480p; 6:07)


• Anatomy of the Fights (480p; 6:36)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:55)

The Firm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.