Rise of the Footsoldier (2007)
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The film follows the transformation of a football hooligan into a violent criminal within the Essex underworld.
The story
Rise of the Footsoldier follows the rise of Carlton Leach from a football hooligan to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through Essex in the late eighties and early nineties. The narrative spans three decades of his life, tracing his progression from football hooliganism to working as a bouncer, his involvement in the criminal aspects of the early 'rave' scene, and his eventual evolution into a violent criminal.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows the rise of Carlton Leach from a football hooligan to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through Essex in the late eighties and early nineties. It covers three decades of his life, including his time as a bouncer and his involvement in the criminal aspects of the early 'rave' scene before he became a violent criminal. The story is based on the autobiography of Leach, who rose from a football hooligan to becoming a bouncer, hired muscle, and a part of the Essex firm of the 1990s, including his involvement with Pat Tate and Tony Tucker.
- First release year
- 2007
- Production countries
- British
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Julian Gilbey
- Writers
- Julian Gilbey · writer; Will Gilbey · writer; Ricci Harnett · writer; Zackary Adler · writer; Andrew Loveday · writer; Nick Nevern · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ricci Harnett · Carlton Leach; Craig Fairbrass · Pat Tate; Roland Manookian · Craig Rolfe; Terry Stone · Tony Tucker; Coralie Rose · Denny; Neil Maskell · Darren Nicholls; Billy Murray · Mickey Steele; Ian Virgo · Jimmy Gerenuk
- Genres
- gangster; crime drama; black comedy
- Themes
- rise to power; criminality; hooliganism
- Tone and mood
- violent
- Premise and plot tags
- true story; crime
- Source material / true-story basis
- autobiography of Carlton Leach
- Franchise connections
- Rise of the Footsoldier
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, described as a 'repugnant gangland romp' by TimeOut and dismissed as a 'Brit crime flick... that has nothing going for it but violence' by Videohound.
- Reported review scores
- Filmhounds · score: 4 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- The film features an original score by Sandy McLelland and Ross Cullum.; The film was based on the autobiography of Carlton Leach.; The film's production was the third for director Julian Gilbey.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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