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{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = The Firm
| name = The Firm
Line 4: Line 6:
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Nick Love]]
| director = [[Nick Love]]
| producer = Allan Niblo
| producer = Rhys Dow
| writer = [[Al Ashton]] (original screenplay)<br>[[Nick Love]] (adaptation)
| based_on = {{Based on|''[[The Firm (1988 film)|The Firm]]'' screenplay|[[Al Hunter Ashton]]}}
| screenplay = [[Nick Love]] (adaptation)
| starring = [[Calum McNab]]<br>[[Paul Anderson (actor)|Paul Anderson]]<br>[[Daniel Mays]]<br>[[Camille Coduri]]
| starring = Calum McNab<br />[[Paul Anderson (actor)|Paul Anderson]]<br />[[Daniel Mays]]<br />[[Doug Allen (actor)|Doug Allen]]<br />[[Camille Coduri]]
| music =
| music = [[Laura Rossi]]
| cinematography =
| cinematography = Matt Gray BSC
| editing =
| editing = Stuart Gazzard
| studio = [[Vertigo Films]]
| studio = [[Vertigo Films]]
| distributor =
| distributor = [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
| released = 18 September 2009
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2009|9|18}}
| runtime = 90 min.
| runtime = 90 minutes
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| language = English
| budget =
| budget =
| gross =
| gross = £686,502
| website = http://www.thefirm84.com/
| amg_id =
| imdb_id = 1313113
}}
}}


'''''The Firm''''' is a British [[2009 in film|2009]] [[drama film]] written and directed by [[Nick Love]]. The film is a [[remake]] of the original [[The Firm (1988 film)|1988 version]].
'''''The Firm''''' is a 2009 British [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] based around [[football hooliganism]] written and directed by [[Nick Love]]. It is a [[remake]] of the original [[The Firm (1989 film)|1989 version]].


==Adaptation==
==Adaptation==
Loosely adapted from Alan Clarke's 1989 classic TV film, Nick Love's film is set earlier in the 1980s in around 1984 and retells a similar story to the original - but from a different character's point of view. The film centres on Dom, a young wannabe football casual, who gets drawn in to the charismatic but dangerous world of the firm's top boy, Bex Bissell.
Loosely adapted from [[Alan Clarke]]'s 1989 classic TV film for ''[[Screen Two]]'', Nick Love's film is set earlier in the 1980s; around 1984. It retells a similar story to the original, but it is told from a different character's point of view. The protagonist of this adaptation is Dom, who was a minor character in the original. Dom is a young wannabe football [[Casual (subculture)|casual]] who gets drawn into the charismatic but dangerous world of the firm's top boy, Bex Bissell. A 'firm' being the name used by groups of smartly dressed hooligans, under the pretense of being supporters of a particular team, who arrange organised violence on match days with rival 'firms'.


==Plot==
==Plot==
Bex is the leader of the [[West Ham United]] football firm, that travels up and down the country to fight other firms. Dom is a normal young lad who hangs around with his mates, and one night they go to a nightclub, where his friend Tel walks into Bex. After the two share words, Bex headbutts Tel in the face and offers out his friends afterwards. The morning after, Tel tells Dom that Bex is after them and that they have been named to Bex. The two then go to the local pub, the Lord Nelson, where the firm hangs out. There, Dom apologises for the two of them. Bex compliments Dom's courage, saying that he has a lot of guts to walk in and face him. Dom later finds out where Bex works and goes to visit him. They become acquaintances, visiting a sports shop where Bex purchases a pair of [[Adidas]] Munchen trainers. He then asks Dom if he wants to play in his football team. Dom accepts. Dom asks his Dad for money to buy the same pair of trainers.
Accepted for his fast mouth and sense of humour, 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 realises he wants to walk out - until he learns it's not that easy to simply walk away.


Dom arrives late at the football game and is put in goal. After he saves a vital penalty, the rest of the boys begin to take a liking to him, especially Jay, who asks if he is coming to [[Portsmouth]] at the weekend. Dom agrees. Trigger, the firm's second-in-command, visits Bex at work, where he tells him that [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]]'s firm and Portsmouth's firm are meeting to discuss the up-and-coming matches between the three teams. Bex walks in on the meeting to pitch his idea of the three firms coming together to form a national firm for the [[UEFA European Football Championship]]. The pitch fails, with Millwall and Portsmouth's top boys refusing to stand behind Bex in the national firm unless he and his firm can beat theirs in the upcoming meets. Saturday comes and the firm are at the station getting a train to Portsmouth. When they get there they meet the Portsmouth firm at the pub. Police arrive and try to break up the two teams. During the brawl, Dom is punched in the face but stays on his feet and punches back.
==Police blunder==
On the 31st October 2009, it was revealed that stills from the movie were released by [[Scotland Yard]] in relation to the [[2009 Upton Park riots]]<ref>http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Scotland-Yard-Mix-Up-Actors-Playing-Hooligans-Included-Among-Images-Of-Wanted-Football-Fans/Article/200910415427573?lpos=UK_News_First_Strange_News__Article_Teaser_Region__0&lid=ARTICLE_15427573_Scotland_Yard_Mix-Up%3A_Actors_Playing_Hooligans_Included_Among_Images_Of_Wanted_Football_Fans</ref>. Police later released the following statement:


Bex visits Dom at work and tells him to not make any plans for the weekend. Dom sees Tel who criticises his tracksuit, but Dom tells him that he is part of the West Ham firm now. Dom later meets Jay, and the two go to the sports shop and steal a load of gear. Some of the firm go to Bex's house to talk about the possible national firm. Bex asks Dom if he would like to go to Europe, and Dom agrees. Bex says he has to get blooded first, which means he has to get the firm's symbol engraved on his forearm. Bex pulls out a Stanley knife and starts to engrave on Dom's arm. When the rest of the firm lick their hands and rub off the symbol that is on their arms he realises that it is a joke.
{{Quote|"These images appear to have been taken from a motion picture. We wish to apologise unreservedly to those affected. We are going to be actively trying to contact those people to offer our apologies."|Scotland Yard statement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8335331.stm|title=Police 'wanted men' were actors|date=31 October 2009|work=BBC News|accessdate=2009-10-31}}</ref>}}

Dom goes to the Lord Nelson to meet up with the boys. Soon after arriving, he is harshly ridiculed in front of everyone by a drunken Trigger for wearing the same tracksuit as Bex. Feeling forlorn, Dom leaves the pub and doesn't go to the game. Bex then visits him at work the next day and tells him to stand up for himself, and invites him to a night club. Dom also gets invited to [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] on the weekend, but the firm end up going to Millwall to launch a surprise attack on the Millwall firm instead. Millwall fights back with weapons and largely outnumbers them. As a result, the surprise attack fails and they suffer a humiliating defeat. Bex, along with Dom and some other members of the West Ham firm, go back later and ambush a Millwall fan as he leaves the pub, beating him half to death with lead pipes. They return home only to find that their cars have been smashed up. A calling card has been placed on Bex's car saying "Congratulations, you have just met the Yeti" (the [[Yeti]] is a nickname for the Millwall firm leader).

Some of the firm express that they are not happy with Bex's reckless leadership in refusing to back down over the feud with the Yeti, and are ultimately forced by Bex to leave the firm. When Bex brings a bag full of blunt weapons to the Lord Nelson in preparation for a revenge attack on the Yeti and his firm, Dom expresses his concerns as well. Bex reacts angrily, bullying and threatening Dom and telling him that he has no choice but to stay with the firm. They go from the Lord Nelson to London Bridge station and ambush the rival firm. Dom looks on as Bex overpowers the Yeti and kicks him savagely in the head and body repeatedly as he lies on the floor. As Bex walks away, the Yeti pulls a flick knife out of his sock and stabs Bex in the stomach. Off-screen, Bex eventually succumbs to the wound.

That night, the police are seen arriving at Bex's house. His wife answers the door angrily with the baby in her arms. From the police's silence, she knows Bex has been killed and tearfully goes into denial.

In the epilogue, Dom puts on the red tracksuit that Bex told him to never wear again, and heads to the Lord Nelson one last time. He looks through the window and sees that the firm are enjoying themselves and do not appear to be mourning Bex, with Trigger now seemingly in charge. Dom sees this as his chance to get out for good. He walks away from the pub and bumps into Tel. They both walk off exchanging jokes and following their old routine before Dom joined the firm.

==Cast==
*[[Paul Anderson (actor)|Paul Anderson]] as Bex
*Calum MacNab as Dom
*[[Daniel Mays]] as Yeti
*[[Doug Allen (actor)|Doug Allen]] as Trigger
*Joe Jackson as Jay
*[[Richie Campbell (actor)|Richie Campbell]] as Snowy
*[[Camille Coduri]] as Shel
*Eddie Webber as Bob
*Joanne Matthews as Suzy
*Billy Seymour as Terry
*James Kelly as Beef
*Jaf Ibrahim as Usef
*Tommy Nash as Nunk
*Ebony Gilbert as Justine

==Reception==
''The Firm'' holds a 68% approval rating at review aggregator site [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on the opinions of 25 critics.<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1214046-firm/ ''The Firm'' (2009)]. [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. Retrieved 26 May 2021.</ref>

==Police photograph error==
On 31 October 2009, it was revealed that stills from the movie were released by [[Scotland Yard]] in relation to the [[2009 Upton Park riots]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Scotland-Yard-Mix-Up-Actors-Playing-Hooligans-Included-Among-Images-Of-Wanted-Football-Fans/Article/200910415427573?lpos=UK_News_First_Strange_News__Article_Teaser_Region__0&lid=ARTICLE_15427573_Scotland_Yard_Mix-Up%3A_Actors_Playing_Hooligans_Included_Among_Images_Of_Wanted_Football_Fans|title=Cast of Hooligan Film Among 'Wanted' Fans|date=31 October 2009|publisher=Sky News|first=Emma|last=Rowley|accessdate=8 November 2009}}</ref> Police later released the following statement:

{{Blockquote|"These images appear to have been taken from a motion picture. We wish to apologise unreservedly to those affected. We are going to be actively trying to contact those people to offer our apologies."|Scotland Yard statement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8335331.stm|title=Police 'wanted men' were actors|date=31 October 2009|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=31 October 2009}}</ref>}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Film}}
*[[Millwall F.C. and West Ham United F.C. rivalry]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
<references />


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.thefirm84.com/ Official website]
* {{Official website|www.thefirm84.com}}
* {{imdb title|id=1313113|title=The Firm}}
* {{IMDb title|1313113|The Firm}}
* {{Amg movie|491666|The Firm}}
* {{AllMovie title|491666|The Firm}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=1214046-firm|title=The Firm}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|1214046-firm|The Firm}}

{{Nick Love}}
{{Nick Love}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Firm, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Firm}}
[[Category:2009 films]]
[[Category:2009 films]]
[[Category:2000s drama films]]
[[Category:British association football films]]
[[Category:British drama films]]
[[Category:British crime drama films]]
[[Category:British crime films]]
[[Category:2009 crime drama films]]
[[Category:Crime drama films]]
[[Category:Remakes of British films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Shane Meadows]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1980s]]
[[Category:Football (soccer) films]]
[[Category:Sports films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Nick Love]]
[[Category:Films directed by Nick Love]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1980s]]

[[Category:Millwall F.C.]]

[[Category:British sports drama films]]
{{British-film-stub}}
[[Category:Vertigo Films films]]
[[Category:Football hooliganism in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:West Ham United F.C.]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s British films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Laura Rossi]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:English-language crime drama films]]

Latest revision as of 21:28, 17 September 2024

The Firm
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNick Love
Screenplay byNick Love (adaptation)
Based onThe Firm screenplay
by Al Hunter Ashton
Produced byRhys Dow
StarringCalum McNab
Paul Anderson
Daniel Mays
Doug Allen
Camille Coduri
CinematographyMatt Gray BSC
Edited byStuart Gazzard
Music byLaura Rossi
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • 18 September 2009 (2009-09-18)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office£686,502

The Firm is a 2009 British drama film based around football hooliganism written and directed by Nick Love. It is a remake of the original 1989 version.

Adaptation

[edit]

Loosely adapted from Alan Clarke's 1989 classic TV film for Screen Two, Nick Love's film is set earlier in the 1980s; around 1984. It retells a similar story to the original, but it is told from a different character's point of view. The protagonist of this adaptation is Dom, who was a minor character in the original. Dom is a young wannabe football casual who gets drawn into the charismatic but dangerous world of the firm's top boy, Bex Bissell. A 'firm' being the name used by groups of smartly dressed hooligans, under the pretense of being supporters of a particular team, who arrange organised violence on match days with rival 'firms'.

Plot

[edit]

Bex is the leader of the West Ham United football firm, that travels up and down the country to fight other firms. Dom is a normal young lad who hangs around with his mates, and one night they go to a nightclub, where his friend Tel walks into Bex. After the two share words, Bex headbutts Tel in the face and offers out his friends afterwards. The morning after, Tel tells Dom that Bex is after them and that they have been named to Bex. The two then go to the local pub, the Lord Nelson, where the firm hangs out. There, Dom apologises for the two of them. Bex compliments Dom's courage, saying that he has a lot of guts to walk in and face him. Dom later finds out where Bex works and goes to visit him. They become acquaintances, visiting a sports shop where Bex purchases a pair of Adidas Munchen trainers. He then asks Dom if he wants to play in his football team. Dom accepts. Dom asks his Dad for money to buy the same pair of trainers.

Dom arrives late at the football game and is put in goal. After he saves a vital penalty, the rest of the boys begin to take a liking to him, especially Jay, who asks if he is coming to Portsmouth at the weekend. Dom agrees. Trigger, the firm's second-in-command, visits Bex at work, where he tells him that Millwall's firm and Portsmouth's firm are meeting to discuss the up-and-coming matches between the three teams. Bex walks in on the meeting to pitch his idea of the three firms coming together to form a national firm for the UEFA European Football Championship. The pitch fails, with Millwall and Portsmouth's top boys refusing to stand behind Bex in the national firm unless he and his firm can beat theirs in the upcoming meets. Saturday comes and the firm are at the station getting a train to Portsmouth. When they get there they meet the Portsmouth firm at the pub. Police arrive and try to break up the two teams. During the brawl, Dom is punched in the face but stays on his feet and punches back.

Bex visits Dom at work and tells him to not make any plans for the weekend. Dom sees Tel who criticises his tracksuit, but Dom tells him that he is part of the West Ham firm now. Dom later meets Jay, and the two go to the sports shop and steal a load of gear. Some of the firm go to Bex's house to talk about the possible national firm. Bex asks Dom if he would like to go to Europe, and Dom agrees. Bex says he has to get blooded first, which means he has to get the firm's symbol engraved on his forearm. Bex pulls out a Stanley knife and starts to engrave on Dom's arm. When the rest of the firm lick their hands and rub off the symbol that is on their arms he realises that it is a joke.

Dom goes to the Lord Nelson to meet up with the boys. Soon after arriving, he is harshly ridiculed in front of everyone by a drunken Trigger for wearing the same tracksuit as Bex. Feeling forlorn, Dom leaves the pub and doesn't go to the game. Bex then visits him at work the next day and tells him to stand up for himself, and invites him to a night club. Dom also gets invited to Crystal Palace on the weekend, but the firm end up going to Millwall to launch a surprise attack on the Millwall firm instead. Millwall fights back with weapons and largely outnumbers them. As a result, the surprise attack fails and they suffer a humiliating defeat. Bex, along with Dom and some other members of the West Ham firm, go back later and ambush a Millwall fan as he leaves the pub, beating him half to death with lead pipes. They return home only to find that their cars have been smashed up. A calling card has been placed on Bex's car saying "Congratulations, you have just met the Yeti" (the Yeti is a nickname for the Millwall firm leader).

Some of the firm express that they are not happy with Bex's reckless leadership in refusing to back down over the feud with the Yeti, and are ultimately forced by Bex to leave the firm. When Bex brings a bag full of blunt weapons to the Lord Nelson in preparation for a revenge attack on the Yeti and his firm, Dom expresses his concerns as well. Bex reacts angrily, bullying and threatening Dom and telling him that he has no choice but to stay with the firm. They go from the Lord Nelson to London Bridge station and ambush the rival firm. Dom looks on as Bex overpowers the Yeti and kicks him savagely in the head and body repeatedly as he lies on the floor. As Bex walks away, the Yeti pulls a flick knife out of his sock and stabs Bex in the stomach. Off-screen, Bex eventually succumbs to the wound.

That night, the police are seen arriving at Bex's house. His wife answers the door angrily with the baby in her arms. From the police's silence, she knows Bex has been killed and tearfully goes into denial.

In the epilogue, Dom puts on the red tracksuit that Bex told him to never wear again, and heads to the Lord Nelson one last time. He looks through the window and sees that the firm are enjoying themselves and do not appear to be mourning Bex, with Trigger now seemingly in charge. Dom sees this as his chance to get out for good. He walks away from the pub and bumps into Tel. They both walk off exchanging jokes and following their old routine before Dom joined the firm.

Cast

[edit]

Reception

[edit]

The Firm holds a 68% approval rating at review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on the opinions of 25 critics.[1]

Police photograph error

[edit]

On 31 October 2009, it was revealed that stills from the movie were released by Scotland Yard in relation to the 2009 Upton Park riots.[2] Police later released the following statement:

"These images appear to have been taken from a motion picture. We wish to apologise unreservedly to those affected. We are going to be actively trying to contact those people to offer our apologies."

— Scotland Yard statement.[3]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ The Firm (2009). Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  2. ^ Rowley, Emma (31 October 2009). "Cast of Hooligan Film Among 'Wanted' Fans". Sky News. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  3. ^ "Police 'wanted men' were actors". BBC News. 31 October 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
[edit]
  • Official website
  • The Firm at IMDb
  • ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› The Firm at AllMovie
  • The Firm at Rotten Tomatoes