STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Danny (Scott Adkins) turned his back on football violence long ago, and now devotes his life to mixed martial arts fighting, until he learns of the death of his little brother. Determined to find out who is responsible, he returns back to his old stomping ground and sets about trying to turn the new 'firm' from flabby, beer swilling no hopers to the top boys they once were. But along the way, he finds everything is not as it seems.
More 'repellent, brain-numbing bilge' then...obviously the first, direct to DVD sequel to 2005's Green Street did well enough that some bright spark decided a second instalment was needed, with martial arts star Scott Adkins in the lead role. Directed by James Nunn, who previously helmed the infinitesimally superior Tower Block, there is at least a little more meat on the bones and less of a boorish hooliganism love in here, but it still can't help but feel like a meaningless, decidedly odd way to spend film making money.
As others have noted, it seems to have moved away from the original street corner/back alley street fighting and seems to focus more on professional looking fighting (which may explain Adkins in the lead role), with constant references to 'how it's all a lot more organized and sophisticated' now, which further shows how far from the original source material it's strayed. It's filled, as well, with plenty of laughable slow motion, opera drenched 'men marching in to battle' moments and Rocky wannabe training montages. And Adkins is a wooden lead. This series should have been kicked to the touch lines long before it even tried to become a franchise. **
Danny (Scott Adkins) turned his back on football violence long ago, and now devotes his life to mixed martial arts fighting, until he learns of the death of his little brother. Determined to find out who is responsible, he returns back to his old stomping ground and sets about trying to turn the new 'firm' from flabby, beer swilling no hopers to the top boys they once were. But along the way, he finds everything is not as it seems.
More 'repellent, brain-numbing bilge' then...obviously the first, direct to DVD sequel to 2005's Green Street did well enough that some bright spark decided a second instalment was needed, with martial arts star Scott Adkins in the lead role. Directed by James Nunn, who previously helmed the infinitesimally superior Tower Block, there is at least a little more meat on the bones and less of a boorish hooliganism love in here, but it still can't help but feel like a meaningless, decidedly odd way to spend film making money.
As others have noted, it seems to have moved away from the original street corner/back alley street fighting and seems to focus more on professional looking fighting (which may explain Adkins in the lead role), with constant references to 'how it's all a lot more organized and sophisticated' now, which further shows how far from the original source material it's strayed. It's filled, as well, with plenty of laughable slow motion, opera drenched 'men marching in to battle' moments and Rocky wannabe training montages. And Adkins is a wooden lead. This series should have been kicked to the touch lines long before it even tried to become a franchise. **