The Football Factory
Image Entertainment
Cast: Danny Dyer, Frank Harper, Tamer Hassan, Rolind Manookian, Neil Maskell
Extras: Audio Commentary, Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Trailers, TV Spots
Rating:
If you dig fist fights, casual sex, beer, rough and rowdy language, oh and cheering for your favorite football team (soccer for us North Americans), then this British tale "The Football Factory", based on the bestselling novel by John King, should be right up your alley! Fans of "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels", "Snatch" and the like will more than likely enjoy this, often violent story about a group of friends who start an all out war between rivals that sets off more violence and a thirst for revenge, all fuelled by alcohol and illegal drug use. So, that's about all I can tell you, there really is nothing too glamorous or polished with "The Football Factory" and it sure won't appeal to everyone. Although it does manage to muster just enough heart and soul to make the story a bit interesting, before heading right back to a good old ass kicking brawl! I don't really know why I enjoyed this film, but my wife sure didn't, so I will again say that the mood of this film is definitely not suited for everyone, view with caution.
Image Entertainment brings "The Football Factory" to DVD in a slightly rough looking anamorphic widescreen transfer that I don't think was intentional, but actually works with the mood and feel of the material being presented. The transfer appears clean and clear of any distracting dust particles, but poor compression does rear its ugly head in the form of aliasing. Color wise, saturation is quite good, given the relatively muted palette, with rich and deep black levels producing good detailing throughout the film's presentation.
Soundtracks come with the options of dts or Dolby Digital 5.1, or a 2.0 presentation. Vocals appeared quite natural throughout, but the mixing was a little off. Scenes that were meant to build tension by showcasing roaring loud music came off a little too powerful, as dialogue is drowned out in the process, leading me to the conclusion that the overall mix was not properly balanced appropriately.
"The Football Factory" comes with a decent assortment of added value materials. Starting with an audio commentary from Director Nick Love and Actor Danny Dyer, deleted scenes, a making of featurette, original production design concepts and a theatrical trailer and TV spots.
Don't let the title fool you into thinking that this film is about or even closely related to sports. The story is more focused on the lifestyles of a few violent and abrasive individuals that so happen to enjoy the game of football and the antics leading up to an actual game and nothing more.
