Rise of the Footsoldier is the true story based on the memoirs of Carlton Leach, played by Ricci Harnett, a gangster, drug dealer and if this film is to be believed (and apparently it is) a horrible, horrible person. He’s not a lovable rogue or a rough diamond, he’s a despicable, wife-beating, steroid abusing thug who is at no point even remotely likeable. He’s the kind of character that, if he were the villain of the film, you’d look forward to seeing receive some comeuppance, but he’s the main focus of the story and it’s hard to know if writer-director Julian Gibley is actually expecting us to sympathise with this violent creep as he progresses from mindless football hooligan to mindless small-time gangster.
This isn’t the theatrical version of the film that was released five years ago; this is the extreme extended version that contains an extra 20 minutes of violence. Because, clearly, if there was one thing Rise of the Footsoldier didn’t have enough of it, it was violence. Barely a minute goes by without someone getting beaten, stabbed or shot. And this isn’t stylised or deliberately over-the-top violence this is simply violence for people that enjoy watching violence.
It’s filmed in sadistic close ups that focus on injuries in a borderline feitishistic way. Whatever your thoughts on censorship are, or whether you believe movie violence breeds real violence, unless you’re the kind of mouth-breathing weirdo that looks up autopsy pictures online this film will leave a very bad taste in your mouth because essentially it’s a film about sociopaths made for sociopaths. It’s genuinely surprising that director Julian Gilbey comes across as a fairly thoughtful and articulate type in the extra features because it also feels like a film made by sociopaths.
The film builds towards the infamous murder of three of Leach’s equally unsympathetic cronies, Tony Tucker (Terry Stone), Pat Tate (Craig Fairbrass) and Craig Wolfe (Roland Manookian), who were gunned down in a Range Rover on an isolated Essex country road. It was a major news story in the 90s and has become known as the Rettendon murders. The last half hour of the film actually threatens to become interesting as various explanations and suspects for the murders are presented, Rashomon style. If this was a short film in itself it would be worth a watch but unfortunately it’s preceded by the boring and repellent life-story of a deeply unpleasant man who wasn’t even involved. Goodfellas this is not.
Overall Verdict: This is simply a longer and more violent version of a film that was already too long and too violent. Unless you’re among the target audience of sadistic shut-ins you’ll find this to be a grotesque and boring biopic of a terrible person who doesn’t even deserve a slot on Crimewatch let alone a film of his life story.
Special Features:
Interview with director Julian Gilbey
Commentary with director Julian Gilbey and actor Terry Stone
Making Of
Interview with Carlton Leach
Auditions/Out-takes/image gallery/trailer
Reviewer: Adam Pidgeon