In summary, the story follows Frodo Baggins, I mean Matt Buckner (played by Elijah Wood) as he gets expelled from Harvard to cover for a wealthy and powerful Jeremy Van Holden (Terence Jay), with the promise of his return to finish his degree in journalism or some form of compensation as a reward. Matt flies over the pond to live wih his sister, Shannon (Claire Forlani), and her husband Steve Dunham (Marc Warren). Matt is soon introduced to the 'Top Boy' of Green Street Elite (the Firm of West Ham United), Pete Dunham (Charlie Hunnam) . Pete reluctantly brings Matt to the game after Steve insists and conflict leads to the duo growing closer together and Matt channelling his inner 'thug'. As the couple become friends over the next few weeks, Bovver (Leo Gregory), Pete's right hand man and enforcer of the firm grows jealous of the two and his loyalty begins to waiver. Approaching the big derby with Milwall, Bovver betrays the GSE after believing Matt to be working undercover for the Times and discloses the location of Stevie Dunham to Tommy Hatcher (Geoff Bell). Hatcher holds Stevie (the former Major of the GSE) accountable for the death of his 12 year old son. Stevie is hospitalised after Hatcher brutally stabs him and Bovver is exiled by Pete. In the final scene, the two firms clash and Bovver gains redemption by protecting Stevie's wife from the Milwall gang. In a gripping climax Pete sacrifices himself to allow Shannon to escape as Hatcher is about to make his move and get vengeance for the death of his son. After all this, Matt returns to the US and blackmails Van Holden to get him back into Harvard.
The film explores a variety of themes, namely loyalty, honour, valour and love, but not in a typical Hollywood style. There is evidently a creed of honour, respect and loyalty within the GSE. This camaraderie is unspoken for most of the film and is taken as mandatory until Bovver completely disregards this code. Rarely have I seen a film portray this kind of relationship as accurately as this film does. Similarly to real life, the appreciation of one and other within the firm is unspoken but to the viewer can be seen from afar. The Green Street Elite not only enables the group of men to unleash any violent tendencies and support the Hammers but more importantly gives each member a sense of purpose and belonging in the world. The absence of this feeling is present when we see Bovver isolated on the park bench. Without the GSE, Bovver felt unfulfilled in life and an air of despondency and depression loomed overhead. The love for one and other is seen at the end as we get a poignant image of Bovver holding the battered, deceased Pete in his arms.I'm not going to sugar coat anything and this movie definitely has its flaws. First of all, the accent of Pete (Charlie Hunnam) can become an ear-soar after awhile. The Northerner tries to conceal his peculiar accent throughout but for me his failure to depict an East-Londoner really taints some key scenes and shifted my focus from vital dialogue. I've seen many reviewers criticize the casting of Elijah for the role of Matt but personally I believe he suits the role to a tee. The character he plays transforms greatly in the film. He starts off as the seemingly innocent and hapless Harvard boy and finishes as a streetwise man. Leo Gregory does an incredible job as Bovver and his character is the most complex and challenged of all in the film.
I think the fight scenes in the movie are portrayed to an acceptable standard; I've most certainly seen better and more realistic encounters in films but on the other hand I've seen worse. Credit where it's due, the director Lexi Alexander creates moments of palpable tension and a credible atmosphere in London. The only real criticism I have is that if Tommy Hatcher really wanted to harm Stevie Dunham to the extent that he did, surely he could have utilized contacts to get to him and his family. The fact that he goes from ignoring Stevie for years to putting Stevie in hospital and killing his brother with the intentions of doing the same to his wife at the end doesn't stack up in my brain. I am open to hearing any reason you may have.Ultimately, Green Street Elite is a decent film. Clearly the producers thought so and made 2 sequels which I haven't and don't plan on viewing (unless there is demand). I think this work provides an intriguing insight into relationships between men and their interdependence on one and other. I would highly recommend this film to anyone. Having said that, it's no masterpiece so I would rate it a 71/100
