07/09/07 - Rise of the Footsoldier
By David Edwards
The Mirror

Here’s yet another potty-mouthed British gangster movie with plenty of geezers, claret and swearing, but not a lot in the way of imagination. Based on the true story of three men shot dead in a Range Rover in Essex in 1995, the film is narrated by Carlton Leach who rises from being a notorious 1970s football hooligan through the criminal hierarchy of South-East England to become a fully-fledged gangster.

Told over 20 years, it’s an ambitious movie that stretches what’s obviously a tiny budget to amazing lengths, while the acting is generally above average, with a memorable turn from Craig Fairbrass (formerly Dan from EastEnders) as a drug-addled psycho.

This is clearly trying to be a British take on Goodfellas, but it doesn’t quite work. The makers have a real fondness for the characters, portraying Carlton and his pals as violent but essentially lovable rogues. Let me tell you, they’re not.

The cast is comprised of creeps with an empathy factor of precisely zero. Advertisement Click here to find out more! And all that swearing starts to become unintentionally funny after a while. Fans of British geezer films would be better off checking out I.D.

– this is best enjoyed after a night at the pub on DVD. THE REEL LOWDOWN IF YOU LIKED... Green Street, I.D.... YOU’LL LIKE THIS.