The Firm **** (1989, Gary Oldman, Lesley Manville, Phil Davis) – Classic Movie Review 9501

Director Alan Clarke’s 1989 BBC film The Firm stars Gary Oldman, who sizzles in this unsettling, violent TV movie as Bex Bissell, the psychotic leader of a London firm of soccer hooligans. He is 30, married (to Sue, Lesley Manville) with a young son and a (then) good job as an estate agent. But his main concern is leading a united England firm on the rampage in Germany for the ’88 European championship.

The violence erupts when rival football supporter gang leaders Yeti and Oboe (Philip Davis and Andrew Wilde) arrange rumbles to decide who should head the England firm.

The Firm is a worrying, but powerful and thought-provoking movie, with some useful facts about soccer hooligans (they are older and better-off than we think) but of course no answers.

A sometimes uneasy film is distinguished by Oldman’s frighteningly real-seeming performance.

Also in the cast are Charles Lawson, William Vanderpuye, Jay Simpson, Patrick Murray, Robbie Gee, Terry Sue-Patt, Nick Dunning, Nicholas Hewetson, Steve McFadden, Steve Sweeney, Hepburn Graham, Dan Hildebrand and Kevin Allen.

The Firm is directed by Alan Clarke, runs 75 minutes, is made and released by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), is written by Al Ashton [Al Hunter], is shot by John Ward, Ben Philpott and Richard Philpott, is produced by David M Thompson, and is designed by Rachel Heady and Christopher Robilliard.

This Screen Two episode was aired on 26 February 1989.

RIP Screen Two (1985–2002).

Oldman actually supports Millwall.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9501

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com