RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER is one of the better-known and more well-liked of the low budget British gangster films that have been doing the rounds in the last decade. I was pleasantly surprised by the film's incredible violence quota; this is a brutal film in which thuggishness is a way of life and beatings, torture, and violent death are just around the corner for every character.
As a film it does suffer from the usual problems associated with this genre. The script is full of expletives but very little wit. The story is meandering in places, starting out with some tacked-on football hooligan stuff before getting better as it goes on, retelling the infamous 'Essay boy' murders of the 1990s. The main character (and actor) are quite dull, but the supporting cast are pretty entertaining, in particular Craig Fairbrass, whose larger-than-life turn is the best I've seen from him. RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER is no masterpiece, but the quality of other, similar fare makes this one stand out.
As a film it does suffer from the usual problems associated with this genre. The script is full of expletives but very little wit. The story is meandering in places, starting out with some tacked-on football hooligan stuff before getting better as it goes on, retelling the infamous 'Essay boy' murders of the 1990s. The main character (and actor) are quite dull, but the supporting cast are pretty entertaining, in particular Craig Fairbrass, whose larger-than-life turn is the best I've seen from him. RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER is no masterpiece, but the quality of other, similar fare makes this one stand out.