“Green Street” is about football hooliganism but unlike “The Football Factory”, this movie takes itself seriously. It’s about the world of football firms and is designed to reach out to the American markets but sadly, they are unlikely to learn anything about football (or ‘soccer’ as they say).

A wrongfully expelled Harvard student (Elijah Wood “Sin City”, “Radio Flyer”) travels to London to meet up with his sister (Claire Forlani “The Medallion”). Shortly after arriving, he is introduced into the bloody culture of football hooliganism via West Ham’s firm. The danger is taken to the next level when the firm prepare to face the hooligans of Millwall.

Elijah Wood is okay as Matt but the actual character isn’t very believable. He claims never to have been in a fight but is able to knockout a seasoned brawler in the first scrap of the film. I also get that the character is being used to attract an American audience but I doubt many of them will really care about the subject matter. The hooligans in this film become a little tiring as they are nowhere near as endearing as the men of “The Football Factory” but maybe that’s the point. Charlie Hunnam (“Pacific Rim”) is the main hooligan but he becomes rather tedious. Claire Forlani is alright but her role never really requires her to do that much.

If you want a gritty and grim take on football firms then “Green Street” doesn’t do a bad job because the fights are done rather well. Also, there are some clever scenes here and there such as one where the West Ham gang outsmart some Manchester hooligans. I would warn people that some of the violence is quite graphic and one scene even involves somebody being stabbed in the neck with a beer bottle. If you don’t find movies about thugs particularly interesting, “Green Street” will do little to spark your enthusiasm.