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Cass (2008) Certificate 18

Cass
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Rated 3.5 stars
Average rating
(67%)
 
Starring: Nonso Anozie | Nathalie Press | Leo Gregory | Gavin Brocker | Tamer Hassan | Ralph Ineson | Paul Kaye | Linda Bassett | Bronson Webb | Robbie Gee
Director: Jon S. Baird
Studio: OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time: 100 mins
Genres: Drama
Languages: English
Released: December 29, 2008
Also available on: Also Available on: blu_ray

The incredible true story of how an orphaned Jamaican baby, adopted by an elderly white couple and brought up in an all white area of London, became one of the most feared and respected men in Britain. CASS grew up in a time before political correctness and was forced to endure racist bullying on a daily basis, until one day when the years of pent up anger came out in a violent burst. CASS found through violence the respect he never had and became addicted to the buzz of fighting. His way of life finally caught up with him when an attempted assassination on his life, saw him shot three times at point blank range. His inner strength somehow managed to keep him alive but he was left with a dilemma; whether to seek vengeance as the street had taught him, or renounce his violent past. This is the extraordinary story of his life.

Rating of 3 stars out of 5
Time Out

Youd be hard pressed to justify forming tight-knit squads of men in a local pub, tooling them up with axe-handles,...

Highest rated reviews

86 out of 87 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5 stars
Chains trains and automobiles...

PaulaWestwood from , 14th August, 2008

For anyone growing up in the 70's and 80's football headlines revolved around violence and gang war, rather than Beckhams new hairstyle. It is burned into anyones memory the battles that took place every Saturday, and English teams being banned from international competition. As is said in the film if you asked anyone overseas about Britain, football violence was a very close second in the psyche of what Britain was about than the Queen herself was . The ICF (Intercity firm - name based on the modes of transport - rail - and vans used to get to away games to meet their foes) had a fearsome and growing reputation, one group of the ICF was headed by Cass Pennant, who stumbled upon violence as his way of gaining respect during a difficult childhood in a ridiculously racist country. This is the story of a general turned gentle by family values and just plain old growing up, and is one of the best films of its time, easily equalling Quadrophenias view of England as a biopic. A remarkable and brilliantly played fact based drama that completely epitomises its subject matter and the fallout that can happen when violence was a way of life. Superb definately worth a watch, I will now buy the books too.

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21 out of 27 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 0 stars
what a letdown

A Customer from Liverpool, 30th December, 2008

if you are expecting a green street or football factory then you will be dissapointed, a couple of good fights and the fashion captures the time but story is weak and is pretty detatched from the football scene

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17 out of 17 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5 stars
Brilliant film.

A Customer from London, 4th January, 2009

I have a season ticket at West Ham and i've often seen Cass working his stall opposite the ground and sitting in the chicken run, its nice to put the story to the face and set the record straight after that joke of a film they call Green Street.It was a great film and touches on a lot of things going on back then not just the football violence.Its a brilliant film and wont disappoint.

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8 out of 10 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 0 stars
Boring, Kitchen sink drama

A Customer from BASILDON, ESSEX, 13th January, 2009

Don't waste your time watching this sub standard Football Hooligan film that could have been a 1 hr TV drama on ITV 2.

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Most recent reviews

Rated 1 stars
Absolute Cass!

xibalba from , 3rd February, 2010

I'm struggling to accept if the single other reviewer of this film and me have indeed been watching the same thing. This dire movie is not even close to being 'remarkable', 'superb' and 'brilliantly played'. Further, there is absolutely nothing to compare between this and Quadrophenia, and to do so is a violent insult upon Franc Roddam's 1979 seminal classic. Sure, we all have different tastes and i'm even willing to concede that everyone is entitled to an opinion, but please know this film is awful in every way and the above reviewer loses my respect on this one. The real life story of ex-hooligan Cass Pennant - a Black orphan finding his way in Thatcherite Britain - is a genuinely interesting one, but it finds no redemption here. The script is juvenile and lazy, the acting is hilariously bad (in particular Cass' love interest played by Nathalie Press gives a masterclass in wooden), and any direction virtually absent throughout. All of this, together with poor lighting, unimpressive action scenes, and too many choppy editing sequences (whole sections of the story are left out), renders this simply one of the worst movies ever attempted. I've given one star for shooting on location in East London, and for in-keeping with the period. Cass is dreadful. Do not rent. Click away now. Get The Firm or ID instead. Hell, even Football Factory is better.

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Rated 0 stars
cass

choward from , 24th January, 2010

Ok film, wouldnt watch again

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4 stars
made to feel he's a legend when hes a thug???

A Customer from ENGLAND, 8th December, 2009

Bottom line,he's a football hooligan and a gangsta. Wasn't bad. Starts of like football factory and then slowly drifts into gangland stuff. A lot of these sort of football factory style ones around.I guess if you like the football/gangsta violence you won't go far wrong with it. Doesn't stand out to me as much as football factory or green street,but certainly worth a watch!

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 3 stars
DON'T CALL ME CAROL! FUCKIN', YEAH?

Norman Barry from Surrey, England., 2nd November, 2009

Low budget, low quality social commentary on the true life story of a black boy brought up in a tough white world. The real story deserves better, but this goes for the nostalgia of the good ol' days when football hooligans were football hooligans. You learn that Pennant has written eight books and you think 'Oh, right', then you see him interviewed and think 'Oh, no'.

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