289. Rise Of the Footsoldier - Origins; movie review

 

RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER - ORIGINS

Cert 18

107 mins

BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, strong bloody violence, drug misuse

Were the activities of the victims of the Rettendon murders really worth spawning 11 movies?

I would suggest only in the minds of Nick Nevern, Terry Stone, Craig Fairbrass and their pals.

Nevern has graduated to being director this time around but we are, according to my calculations treated to Fairbrass and Stone's fifth incarnation of Pate Tate and Tony Tucker respectively.

By comparison, only three films have been dedicated to the story of the far more notorious Kray twins.

Rise Of The Footsoldier Origins is boring and faintly ridiculous - it is nearly 15 years since Stone first played Tucker and, consequently, the now bewigged 50-year-old looks bizarre as he goes on the trail of young women, drugs and money.

Indeed, Nevern's movie looks more like an episode of Dad's Army that a cutting-edge crime thriller.

After all, Fairbrass, who plays the unhinged Pat Tate is 58 and Roland Manookian who portrays 26-year-old Craig Rolfe is 41.

The other key players are 56-year-old Vinnie Jones as doorman Bernard O'Mahoney and Keith Allen, 68, as his boss.

Consequently, I couldn't help wondering whether a cup of tea and slippers would have been more appropriate than a pistol and bag of cocaine.

Seriously, when all of the actors are 20 years older than the characters they are portraying, a film seems out of sync.

But Nevern, Stone and co. won't care. They have scavenged every last penny out of the killings which had a connection to the terrible death of teenager Leah Betts.

Somehow her drug suppliers have now become movie heroes. Why? The same reason they plied their trade. Money without conscience.

Never mind that the acting and dialogue in these films are cringeworthy.

Reasons to watch: Descent 90s soundtrack

Reasons to avoid: Too many to list

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 1.5/10

Did you know? The Rettendon executions happened in the wake of Leah Betts' death but are believed to have followed bickering over a £125,000 cannabis smuggling racket.

The final word. Terry Stone: " I haven’t got any interest in doing a pretend-gangster film about a load of guys who don’t exist when there are so many amazing characters out there whose stories are worth telling."

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