Harrigan

I have seen some of the negative reviews and I can't believe they watched the same film.

It absolutely caught the atmosphere of 1974 with a gritty style and humour.

Stephen Tomlinson was well cast as the police detective. His scenes were totally believable and sometimes poignantly touching It is set on a run down housing estate with a real eye for detail from the times.

Gangs fighting for their turf back by the corrupt local working class establishment.

It's set in the north of England in a very bleak time and Harrigan has arrived back from Hong Kong where he has been on a two year secondment.

Highly recommended.

Dark and gritty. Absolutely loved it - gripping story and a bit different from your typical gangster film. Really like the setting. Would love to see more like this!

The story about sargant 'arrigan in the northeast england in the poor early 70's are a story about a bit crazed but fair policeman returning from the far east,there batteling the hong kong mobsters, and bringing bakc the same procedures and violence used there,to the mill of street crimes in his hometown.

its a tv-movie quality flick, with loads of slang and swearing,the acting are at best average, but mostly stiff and read out of the script,that arent that fascinating. though the revenge is darn sweet in the end, you really feel the toothless force of the police,and how they hide their heads in the muddy pitch of newcastle, never dearing the lawless.

its a one watch in a lifetime flick,no more than that thinks the grumpy old man

The film Harrigan is set in the difficult times of the early 1970's, and in the midst of a struggling economy and the industrial decline that hit the North East with devastating effects.

The dark, intense, gritty and violent scenes within the film are representative of the pressures and issues - providing a dramatic yet truthful account of criminal activity and general unrest in the region during this time.

Written by an ex policeman, Harrigan addresses stories based on real crimes and real situations. The credibility of the script is further supported by the work of the actors, especially lead actor Stephen Tompkinson.

The film certainly doesn't disappoint,it has a good pace, is gripping and creates fantastic characters for you to like - or loathe.

The creators have done a fantastic job considering it was done on a low budget (which you would never expect). Fantastic direction, a film I would recommend and regard as a classic.

I don't know who Jessica Lear is, but either she was watching a different film or she has a personal grudge against someone in the crew. A gritty, believable story, well shot, well researched locations, with characters you can really feel for and understand. The authentic 70s feel of the film, right down to the cinematography, is perfect. The dark, brooding undercurrent of the film encapsulates well the desperate and depressing mood the UK, and particularly the north, was suffering in the mid-seventies, without masking the human story behind the main characters. The touches of humour, just took the hard edge off the violence, and strong visual and audible content, to make this a thoroughly enjoyable film, well worth going to see. The storyline and the characters have enough mileage left in them for a sequel or TV series to follow. Good luck to all involved, it is heartening to see a good British film without the mockney mafia involved.