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jueves, 5 de diciembre de 2013

GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS


 

SINOPSIS: Hooligans: Stand your Ground, también conocida como Green Street Hooligans, Green Street, Football Hooligans, Hijos de la furia o simplemente Hooligans, es una película de drama que trata el tema del hooliganismo que se vive en el fútbol de Inglaterra. Fue dirigida por Lexi Alexander y estelarizada por Elijah Wood y Charlie Hunnam. La película cuenta la historia de Matt Buckner, un estadounidense que llega a Inglaterra tras ser expulsado de Harvard, y, ya en Londres, entra en éste mundo de los hooligans que apoyan, en este caso, al West Ham United.


FICHA TECNICA
Dirección Lexi Alexander
Producción Donald Zuckerman, Deborah Del Prete, Lexi Alexander, Dougie Brimson, Josh Shelov
Guión Lexi Alexander, Dougie Brimson
Narrada por Sam Gibson,
Protagonistas Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani, Leo Gregory, Música Christopher Franke, Cinematografía Alexander Buono
Edición Paul Trejo
Studios OddLot Entertainment,
Distribuida Universal Pictures (UK), Freestyle Releasing (US)
Realización • 9 September 2005
Duración 109 minutes
Países United Kingdom, United States
Idioma English



COMENTARIOS
Matt Buckner, un estudiante de periodismo en la Universidad de Harvard que es expulsado injustamente al ser culpado por posesión de droga, la cual era de su compañero de cuarto (Jeremy Van Holden) quien la escondía entre sus pertenencias. Temiendo por el poder político del padre de su compañero, acepta los cargos y se marcha de la institución.

Viaja a Londres, Inglaterra para ver a su hermana (Shannon Buckner); al llegar conoce al hijo y esposo de esta (Steve Dunham) quien a su vez le presenta a su hermano, un joven inglés rebelde y simpático de nombre Pete Dunham, quien acepta llevar a Matt a un partido de fútbol con un par de entradas que pide prestadas a Steve. Finalmente y a regañadientes llegan al pub donde el inglés y sus amigos tenían sus reuniones y borracheras antes de los partidos. Ahí conoce al resto del grupo, entre ellos Bovver, la mano derecha de Pete, quien no recibe de buena forma al joven por su procedencia.

Asisten al partido y tras una revuelta, el americano (Como se le comienza a llamar y a conocer a Matt) es introducido al mundo del Hooliganismo Inglés. Pete le explica en lo que consiste y le menciona que las pandillas de Hooligans son conocidas como "firmas", aquella a la que ellos pertenecen es una de las de mayor reputación, la "GSE" ("Green Street Elite"), cuyo equipo al que apoyan es el West Ham United. Tras varias peleas y múltiples partidos Matt se gana finalmente la confianza de todos los miembros de la firma incluyendo la de Bovver; sin embargo todo se arruinará al descubrirse que los estudios que realizaba eran de periodista. El problema concierne en que las pandillas de Hooligans odiaban a los policías, americanos y periodistas al cosiderárseles a estos últimos un montón de sabandijas que harían cualquier cosa por llenar un tabloide; Matt, a sabiendas de esto y por ser de por sí un americano, mintió sobre su vocación haciéndose pasar por maestro de historia. La "GSE" le considera un traidor e infiltrado por lo que van a encararle al pub en donde yacía Matt en una charla con el esposo de su hermana, Steve quien tras descubrir de la misma forma que los demás su profesión, y conociendo el peligro que le aguarda va para ayudarle; de esta forma le revela que él es "El Mayor", el antiguo líder de la firma quien la llevó a su máximo esplendor, pero se retiró tras una pelea con Millwall, el equipo rival, en la que falleció aplastado por las botas de los "martillos" el hijo de su líder, Tommy Hatcher y quien prometió vengarse de Steve.

Tras una discusión, Pete acepta perdonar a Matt aún cuando Bovver no está de acuerdo por lo que este se marcha enfurecido con rumbo a Millwall, ahí busca a Tommy Hatcher pidiéndole que acabe con el americano, éste burlándose le pregunta por qué hacerle aquel favor, a lo que Bovver contesta con que ahí se encuentra su máximo rival, "El Mayor". Millwall embiste a la "GSE" en el pub provocando una enorme pelea y un incendio en el lugar que terminaría con Steve lastimado por una botella rota que Tommy clavaría en su cuello. Le llevan al hospital en donde Bovver se arrepiente y pide perdón siendo reprimido y abandonado por Pete quien molesto decide enfrentarse a la firma rival y terminar con la rivalidad de una vez por todas. Shannon decide marcharse de Londres por miedo y debido también a la promesa que le había hecho a su marido de que si este regresaba a las peleas, le abandonaría. Pete le indica a Matt que debe irse con su hermana pues lo único que ha provocado son problemas en la firma.



Al otro día, ya en camino a la pelea, Matt escapa de la casa ya desalojada de su hermana para alcanzar a sus amigos en la pelea, quienes con un silencio y sonrisa le reciben en la batalla final. Así da comienzo la pelea en la que Pete y Tommy, los líderes, se enfrentan en medio de la masacre, en ese instante Shanon preocupada llega al lugar en su camioneta con su hijo en busca de su hermano, al verla Tommy, manda a Big Marc, su mano derecha, para que acabe con la familia de Steve, al ver esto, Pete quien está malherido de una pierna dice a Matt que debe proteger a su familia yendo este a hacerle frente a Bic Mac, siendo ayudado repentinamente por Bovver quien llega en un acto de redención. Tommy se dispone a ir a pelear con los dos siendo interrumpido por Pete quien comienza a decirle que la muerte de su hijo fue culpa suya. El enfurecido lider de Millwall se lanza sobre él dándole múltiples golpes en la cara haciendo que su cabeza rebote contra el piso y matarlo. El resto de la pelea se interrumpe para separar al Tommy Hatcher enloquecido del cuerpo inherte del "Nuevo Mayor" llegando Bovver a llorar sobre este, quien más que su jefe era su mejor amigo. Matt se marcha con una lágrima en la camioneta acompañado de su hermana y sobrino sanos y a salvo. Steve recibe la noticia en el hospital y enloquece. Finalmente ya en Estados Unidos, Matt engaña a Van Holden, su viejo compañero, sacándole su confesión de que era el culpable con una grabadora asegurando eso como su regreso a Harvard, terminando así la película con el americano cantando la gran porra del West Ham United en las calles de su país.

Green Street is a 2005 independent drama film about football hooliganism in England. US title being Green Street Hooligans. It was directed by Lexi Alexander and stars Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam. In the United States, Australia and South Africa, the film is called Green Street Hooligans. In other countries, it is called Football Hooligans or just Hooligans. In the film, an American college student falls in with a violent West Ham football firm (the Green Street Elite) run by his brother-in-law and is morally transformed by their commitment to each other.

The story was developed by Lexi Alexander, based on her own experience in her brother's firm. Unwilling to shoot the movie with German speaking actors, Lexi decided to adapt the heart of the story into the world of English hooliganism. While researching the subject on British internet forums, she came across a self-described hooligan who urged her to contact author Dougie Brimson. Brimson later admitted that he had been the hooligan who had initially made contact and had used a false identity to sound out Alexander and establish both her identity and her credibility.

Brimson wrote the initial script but Alexander later recruited another writer, Josh Shelov, to assist with structure and plot, while Brimson offered technical advice. However, little of his rewrite made the final cut on account of Shelov's lack of understanding of both soccer and the hooligan culture.

Throughout the film, the Green Street Elite, loosely based on West Ham's Inter City Firm, fight other "firms" such as Tottenham Hotspur's Yid Army, Birmingham City's Zulus, Manchester United's Red Army and Millwall's Bushwackers. Two sequels followed in the form of direct-to-video releases. The first called Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground was released on various dates throughout the world from March 2009 to July 2010 while and the second called Green Street 3: Never Back Down was released in the UK on October 21, 2013



Plot
Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood), a journalism major, is expelled from Harvard University after cocaine is discovered in his room. However, the cocaine belongs to Jeremy Van Holden (Terence Jay), his roommate. Buckner is afraid to speak up because the Van Holdens are a powerful family, and Jeremy pays him $10,000 for taking the fall. Matt visits the United Kingdom to stay with his sister Shannon (Claire Forlani), her husband Steve Dunham (Marc Warren) and their young son, Ben (James Allison).

There, Matt meets Steve's brother, Pete (Charlie Hunnam), a loud and thuggish Cockney who runs a local football hooligan firm - a group of football supporters that arranges fights after matches - and teaches at a local school. Steve asks Pete to take Matt to a football match between West Ham United and Birmingham City, though Pete is reluctant to take a "Yank" to a football match, because of the xenophobic nature of his friends. He is persuaded because Steve will only give the money Pete needs to Matt. After defeating Matt in a fight, Pete decides to take Matt to the football match, thinking he might learn a thing or two. Matt meets Pete's friends and his firm in the Abbey, their local pub. The hooligans all befriend Matt, with the exception of Pete's rather obnoxious right-hand man, Bovver (Leo Gregory). After a few pints of lager, they head to Upton Park for the match. After the match, Pete, Bovver, and the other firm members agree to go and fight some Birmingham fans, but Matt decides that it is not for him and tells Pete he is going to take the train home. On his way back to the underground, Matt is jumped by three Birmingham fans, who nearly give him a 'Chelsea Grin', but he is rescued by some GSE members, who are on their way to a larger fight. Though grossly outnumbered, the GSE manage to hold their ground until reinforcements chase off the Birmingham firm. Matt does well in his first true fight and is inducted into the GSE. After a row with Steve, Matt moves in with Pete, and the two exchange stories.

The GSE firm then head to an away game against Manchester United. Matt was not meant to come but ends up sneaking onto the train. Whilst on the train they are pre-warned that 40 Manchester United firm members are waiting for them at the station. Bovver hits the emergency stop button which allows the GSE to get off at an earlier stop (Macclesfield). Having failed to find a taxi, they persuade a van driver to take them into Manchester. Matt sits in the front of the van with the driver; the rest of the GSE are in the rear. As the van approaches the Man Utd. fans, Matt tells them that they are moving equipment for a Hugh Grant film, so the fans let them through. When past them, he stops the van, opens up the back, and the GSE charge out to attack the United firm members. They win the fight and run away singing "There's your famous GSE!" It is soon revealed to Matt that the GSE's sworn enemy is Millwall's firm, led by Tommy Hatcher (Geoff Bell), with whom Bovver makes negotiations after getting jealous of Matt. After one of the members of the firm see Matt meeting his father, a renowned journalist for The Times, for lunch, they assume Matt is a "journo" as well. Bovver informs Pete of this, and, when Steve finds out, he goes to the Abbey to warn Matt. Matt finds out that Steve used to be "The Major" of the GSE but quit following a match against Millwall, to which Tommy Hatcher brought along his 12-year-old son.

The boy was killed in the ensuing fight by members of the GSE, causing Tommy Hatcher to "lose it," blaming Steve and the GSE for his son's death. After witnessing this tragedy, Steve left football hooliganism for good. At that moment, Bovver and Pete arrive, and there is a massive argument in the Abbey, in which Bovver comes out humiliated. Infuriated, Bovver goes to Millwall's local and asks Tommy Hatcher to ambush GSE at the Abbey. Initially reluctant, Tommy Hatcher agrees upon learning that Steve Dunham is there. Pete angrily confronts Matt in the bathroom over the covering-up of his real identity. The Millwall firm then crash the Abbey, and petrol bomb the bar. Upon arriving, Tommy Hatcher confronts Steve. Steve's attempt to convince Tommy Hatcher that he is no longer involved in the GSE only further reminds Hatcher of his son, and he stabs Steve in the neck with a broken bottle, telling him that if he dies tonight then they are both even. Bovver, who had been knocked out by Tommy Hatcher, comes round just in time to help Steve, who is badly injured. At the hospital, Pete blasts Bovver for his betrayal. Shannon decides to head back to the United States to ensure the safety of her family. In the aftermath, the two firms meet near the Millennium Dome for a bloody and all-out brawl. Matt and Bovver show up to fight for the GSE, but during the fight, Matt's sister, Shannon, turns up with their son, and are attacked by a Millwall hooligan. Matt and Bovver come to their rescue.

Pete notices that Tommy Hatcher is approaching the car, and distracts Tommy by taunting him to "finish him off." When Tommy Hatcher declares to have finished with him, Pete then retorts that Tommy Hatcher was to blame for his son's death, having failed to protect him, shouting "he was your son!". Tommy Hatcher, driven to insanity, attacks and beats Pete to death, all the while shouting out a variation of the words to the chant 'Only a poor little Hammer,' using it as an analogy for Pete's condition. As both sides draw a line at manslaughter, the fight completely halts at this point, and a weeping Tommy is eventually dragged off Pete by members of his firm. Everyone on both sides gathers around Pete's dead body in shock, with Bovver sobbing at his side.

Matt returns to the United States and confronts Jeremy Van Holden in a restaurant toilet, where Jeremy is snorting cocaine. Jeremy arrogantly tells Matt to leave during a brief discussion in which he admits to his identity as the cocaine stash's true owner. Matt then pulls out a tape recorder and plays back what Jeremy just said, saying that it is his "ticket back to Harvard." Jeremy lunges at him to try to get the tape, but Matt casually reverses the attack and raises his fist as if to punch Jeremy. He does not do so, instead walking out with a smile as Jeremy collapses to the floor, defeated. The film ends with Matt walking down the street outside the restaurant singing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles."


Cast

• Elijah Wood as Matthew 'Matt' Buckner, a 20 year old American, studying journalism at Harvard University. His mother has died, and his sister lives in London with her English husband. He doesn't see his dad very often, because he is away working most of the time.
• Charlie Hunnam as Peter 'Pete' Dunham. He teaches history and PE in a local primary school, and also runs West Ham's firm, the Green Street Elite (GSE). He is Steve's younger brother.
• Leo Gregory as Bovver, a member of the GSE, and Pete's right hand man.
• Claire Forlani as Shannon Dunham (née Buckner). Matt's older sister, married to Steve, mother of Ben.
• Marc Warren as Steven 'Steve' Dunham. He ran the GSE in the early 90s and was known as the Major, but he resigned and now lives with his wife Shannon and his son Ben.
• Ross McCall as Dave Bjorno, a commercial airline pilot and a member of the GSE. • Rafe Spall as Swill, a member of the GSE.
• Kieran Bew as Ike, a member of the GSE
• Geoff Bell as Tommy Hatcher, leader of Millwall's firm, the NTO.
• James Allison and Oliver Allison as Ben Dunham, son of Shannon and Steve.
• Terence Jay as Jeremy Van Holden, a cocaine addict and dealer, son of a senator, currently studying at Harvard University.
• Joel Beckett as Terry, landlord of the Bridgett Abbey pub on Walsh Road, and a former member of the GSE.

He was Steve's right hand man when Steve led the GSE. Cultural context The name of the firm in film, the Green Street Elite, refers to Green Street in the London Borough of Newham, where West Ham's home stadium, Boleyn Ground (more commonly known as Upton Park) is located. West Ham is supported by one of England's notorious hooligan firms: the Inter City Firm (ICF).

Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews upon release. It scored 46% on movie website Rotten Tomatoes, and it scored 55% on the website Metacritic. Roger Ebert gave the film a very favourable review. The BBC described it as "calamitous". Lead star Charlie Hunnam's attempted Cockney accent was derided by many critics as being the worst in movie history.

Trivia Unbeknownst to the director or the producers, writer Dougie Brimson inserted numerous references to his Royal Air Force background into the script as well as a number of private 'in-jokes'. One of these is the use of the term, GSE which actually refers to Brimson's trade whilst serving in the military (Ground Support Equipment). Green Street Elite was developed to fit those initials. Despite numerous references to differences between the film and the book, Green Street was not based on a book of any kind. The planned novelisation was shelved following creative and contractual disputes between Brimson and Alexander.

Awards Green Street won several awards including Best Feature at the LA Femme Film Festival, Best of the Fest at the Malibu Film Festival, and the Special Jury Award at the SXSW Film Festival.

The film was nominated for the William Shatner Golden Groundhog Award for Best Underground Movie, other nominated films were Neil Gaiman's and Dave McKean's MirrorMask, the award winning baseball documentary Up for Grabs and Opie Gets Laid.

Premios
LA Femme Film Festival • Lexi Alexander ganó el premio al Mejor Feature (2005).
Malibu Film Festival • Lexi Alexander ganó al premio a Lo Mejor del Festival (2005).
SXSW Film Festival • Lexi Alexander ganó el premio Special Jury.

Secuela Green Street Hooligans 2: fue lanzado directamente a DVD, en marzo de 2012. La mayoría de las estrellas principales del elenco de la primera película no aparecen, sino más bien se centra en Ross McCall, quien desempeñó a "Dave" en la primera película. Dave, quien fue capturado en la pelea final de la película anterior, es llevado a una cárcel donde tiene que luchar para sobrevivir en ella. Sequels Green Street 2:

Stand Your Ground was released straight-to-DVD in March 2009. The film does not star most of the main cast of the first film, but rather focuses on Ross McCall, who played Dave in the first film. The plot has Dave, who was caught from the fight at the end of the first film, in a prison where he must fight to survive. The film received mostly negative reviews, mostly due to the fact that it had almost no relation to the first film. Green Street 3: Never Back Down was released in the UK on October 21, 2013. Staring Scott Adkins from The Expendables 2. Danny Harvey (Adkins) has spent all of his life fighting - in the playground, on the football pitch, and then heading up the West Ham firm the Green Street Elite (GSE). After having turned his back from violence fourteen years prior, Danny is thrust back into the GSE. Younger brother Joey, played by Billy Cook, is killed in an organised fight against a rival firm and Danny is desperate to seek revenge for his brother’s death. Danny returns to the GSE and his past, the only way he knows to find out who killed his younger brother.



West Ham United Football Club West Ham United

Datos generales
Nombre completo West Ham United Football Club
Apodo(s) The Irons - The Hammers - The Academy of Football
Fundación 1895 (118 años)
Propietario(s) Javier Herrero
Presidente David Sullivan
Entrenador Sam Allardyce
Instalaciones Estadio Upton Park Londres, Inglaterra
Capacidad 35.647
Inauguración 1904
Última temporada Liga Premier League (2012/13) 10º

El West Ham United Football Club es un club de fútbol de Inglaterra, de la ciudad de Londres y que pertenece al magnate español Javier Herrero. Fue fundado en 1895 y juega en la Premier League, categoría a la cual regresó, luego de estar una temporada jugando en la Football League Championship.

Historia Imagen del West Ham en el año de su fundación. West Ham United FC (también conocido con los nombres The Irons, The Hammers (Los Martillos) y The Academy of Football) fue fundado en 1895 con el nombre de Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. En 1900 se cambió el nombre por el actual. En el año 1919 el West Ham fue seleccionado para participar de la Football League Second Division, ascendiendo a la First Division en el año 1923, mismo año en que el club llegó a la final de la FA Cup, la primera que se jugó en el Estadio de Wembley, en la final conocida como la final del caballo blanco, la cual ganó el Bolton Wanderers por 2:0.

En los Años 60 la prensa inglesa denominó al club The Academy of Football, debido a la cantidad de jóvenes talentos que procedían de su cantera. En 1964 ganó su primer título, la Copa de Inglaterra. En 1965 conquistó su primer título continental: la Recopa de Europa, venciendo en la final al alemán Múnich 1860.

Volvió a reeditar sus laureles nacionales, en 1975, ganando de nuevo la Copa inglesa. Solo una temporada después, volvió a llegar a una final de la Recopa, pero la perdió ante el RSC Anderlecht belga. La etapa más gloriosa del club data de 1980 y de 1981. En esos años, el club estaba sumido en la segunda división, y primero, logró por tercera vez el trofeo de la FA, y el siguiente año, la liga de segunda división, con lo que desde 1981 hasta 1989, se mantienen en primera. Comienza un periodo de subidas y bajadas entre la segunda división (llamada Championship) a la que descienden nuevamente en 1992 ascendiendo nuevamente y una recién creada FA Premier League. Sufren otro descenso en el 2003 y no es hasta el 2005 cuando ascienden de nuevo a la Premier para acabar como colista en la temporada 2010-11.

Su última alegría continental llegó en 1999, cuando ganó la Copa Intertoto, lo que le permitió disputar la Copa UEFA. En el año 2006 alcanza nuevamente la final de la FA Cup Contra el Liverpool Football Club,Hasta el minuto 90 el marcador se mantenía 2-3 a favor del West Ham sin enbargo Un disparo de larga distancia de Steven Gerrard Le dio el empate a los Reds, Luego en la tanda de penales Anton Ferdinand falló el último lanzamiento por lo cual el Liverpool Football Club se coronó nuevamente campeón de copa en una final histórica y recordada como una tragedia por los aficionados londinenses. Pese a que hasta hoy no ha ganado la Premier League, es uno de los clubes "grandes" de Inglaterra. Otros lo catalogan como club gregario.



De su cantera han salido grandes jugadores británicos actuales como Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick y Jermaine Pennant. También jugo entre sus filas el bajista y líder del grupo de Heavy metal británico Iron Maiden, Steve Harris. E incluso hay una película del propio equipo, Green Street Hooligans.

La Inter City Firm es el grupo de hooligans del West Ham United FC, equipo de la Premier League inglesa. El nombre proviene de los trenes InterCity, que los miembros del grupo usaban en sus desplazamientos a otras ciudades inglesas.

Los InterCity son trenes de primera clase, aunque la ICF es una hinchada obrera prefería viajar en este tipo de trenes antes que los Footballs Especials, trenes baratos que transportaban a los hinchas acompañados por la policía inglesa.2 En 2004 se rodó Hooligans: stand your Ground, más conocida como Green Street hooligans, película protagonizada por Elijah Wood inspirada en los hooligans del West Ham United FC.

Un hincha famoso del West Ham es Ringo Starr al igual que Barack Obama,el actual presidente de los Estados Unidos de América, como tambíen lo son los integrantes de la banda de heavy metal Iron Maiden, Steve Harris (Bajista) y Adrian Smith (Guitarrista). Torneos nacionales • Football League Championship (2): 1958, 1981. • FA Cup (3): 1964, 1975, 1980. • Community Shield (1): 1964. Torneos internacionales • Recopa de Europa (1): 1964-65. • Copa Intertoto de la UEFA (1): 1999.

CITAS:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Street_Hooligans http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/green_street_hooligans/pictures/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Street http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Ham_United_Football_Club