Riot

One month before the title event, I'm not clear on what's going on or whether it has a connection with the title event.

We see the words "Two weeks before". "One week before". "One hour before". I don't know what happens at each of these times. I'm just saying we are told this. Not in a way that really makes clear what is happening when.

I'm not at all certain what is going on half the time or what the connection is to the title event. Between the accents and the curse words that get bleeped, it's difficult for me to follow anything.

What I do know is there are tragedies connected with the title event.

This movie has some pleasant moments, even a few laughs. But mostly it is depressing. And when there is violence, it is quite graphic. No guns. Just fists. The leading actors seem to do a good job and I'm sure the writing is well done. This just isn't the sort of thing I can enjoy.

As of this writing, this film is sitting at a sub-3 star rating. Seriously? Sure the film's got it's problems, but it's pretty well written, pretty well acted, and solidly put together. Maybe England is going through a rash of hooligan films that I'm not aware of and this was the straw that broke the camel's back? That...or people are just kind of idiots.

OK, maybe idiots is a harsh term as there's no accounting for taste, but this film actually works pretty well on most levels. It moves along at a good clip, the characters develop well, and the story is though out. My only real gripe is the way the film jumps around between certain scenes. There's a bit of that "three weeks earlier" crap that makes it a bit hard to follow at times. But on the whole I'd say it's at least worth a watch.

This movie is kind of an enigma, if you read the review that is tagged by IMDb you'd think it was the next Academy award winner for best picture? But it only garners a 4.1 from members and it's dropping fast?

Then I remember hearing that Yahoo did a study, and even in it's own reviews 80% were fake, one way or the other... This movie is no Diff.

The real reviews are easy to pick out, as they are the ones SPOT ON, to quote that tagged review...

The acting here is somewhat less than stellar as is the directing, the budget is smaller than most movies, but I would still say was a wasted expense~they'll be no profits still~except for those already made... ;-)

Believable, No!

Good acting or direction, NO

AlxMac (me) gives this a 2.1 you may even give it less. Put it this way, if it was a EarthQuake on the CA coast, after being reported many people would say, "I never felt a thing"... Pun? For sure, you might feel something, but I doubt it will be anything but the feeling to find a commode chair ASAP and grab the for railings...

I am not surprised that so many people are disappointed by this film. They expected a cop thriller, an action flick probably, and instead they watched a complex and also confused psychological drama about violence, hooligans and the tough reality to be a cop when you have yourself major family problems. I was myself confused by the editing. To speak truly, I was lost, although I got the whole thing. I think it is a too ambitious but not enough monitored script. But certainly not uninteresting at all. Some pricks who don't understand it will say that's a bad movie. Shame on them. This is just an editing issue that jeopardizes the whole stiff and makes it too complicated for most of the audiences. Some very disturbing sequences, such as the female cop rape, in the underground parking. This film is far better than the ones which Simon Philips usually plays in. In summary, don't expect any gunshots or gangsters, but only brutality, cops and hooligans. A typical British noir social drama from UK. A trade mark for this country.

GBH aka Riot (2012) Directed by Simon Phillips. GBH aka Riot is the tale of Damien crossing the line between being a London football hooligan to becoming a member of her majesty's Metropolitan Police force on the edge between both sides of the fight. Nick Nevern plays the part well as things around him spiral out of control. You can feel the intensity of it all as the movie progresses.

Kelly Shirley, ( Carly Wicks in Eastenders) who plays his rookie cop love interest, fits the bill along with Nick to make the movie believable. Damien tells her that he was in and out of care all of his life because of anger management issues. A police officer told him "he'd got so much rage in his eyes and should use it to get back at the life he hates so much." That's why he became a policeman. That scene in this movie epitomises what this movie all about and watching it, which starts off a bit slowly, is like looking like a time bomb and you, the viewer are just waiting for it to explode in your face. bcarruthers-76500