Watch Cass
Watch Cass movie
- IMDB rating: 6.70
- IMDB votes: 73
- Release Date: 2008
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- 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.
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Added: 28 August 2008
Vote: 20
self indulgent boring third rate vanity project
Recently I couldn't get into any performance of The Dark Knight, somyself and my mate looked for an alternative. I should gone home andwatched Eastenders this boring pretentious mockney nonsense, barelykept me awake . The main character (the first black hooligan) was aboutis menacing as the Hofmeister Bear. Unlike the cruely underrated RiseOf The Footsoldier which was slated to pieces. This film was a windedpretentious biopic of somebody nobody cares about. The acting wasdreadful, especially the person who plays Cass's wife,hearing her winynicotine voice was the equalvent of hearing a blackboard beingscratched!! Why was this given a 18 certificate ?
User: jimi-grinchAdded: 1 January 2009
Vote: 1
Good old Football Hooligan stuff
Don't watch this expecting another 'the Firm', this film is good, butis not in the same league. I have read several books on the subject(although none of Cass's) and this film was as I would have expected. Iwas disappointed it didn't really show the main gang ever get awhooping, I know West Ham had a big 'firm', but I'm sure they got abeating some times. This film doesn't have the violence of 'Rise of thefoot soldier', but has a really good atmosphere, something you can onlyfind in a good British film set in this era. If you liked 'Rise of thefoot soldier' and 'Football Factory', you will like this, in fact theonly thing missing from this film is Danny Dyer.
User: waynelreidAdded: 9 September 2008
Vote: 8
Much more than a 'hooligan' film.
Depth of story. Much more than a hooligan film. Many funny and ironicmoments also. This will be enjoyed by football lads as well as generalcinema goers. Looks like it could be a cult movie. I will definitely bebuying the DVD. Good character development throughout the film. Most ofthe acting very convincing. Also attention to detail in the 60's and70's scenes looked very authentic. Some hard scenes but overall goodfun. Cameo appearances from some interesting sportsmen! Also touches onrace issues of past decades. I never realised film was over 90 minutesuntil I left the cinema. All in all very enjoyable and I wouldrecommend it!
User:Added: 8 December 2008
Vote: 4
great lead performance by Anozie
i 100% disagree withe davideo-2 about this feature. the only thing thatlets this film down is the over use of a black screen fade out betweenscenes and the apparent low budget. The use of the news reel footage ofwhat was happening at the time adds nothing but realism to thesituations that were happening at the time. Any attempt to try andreenact scenes such as the heisel disaster would have looked cheap andinsulted the memory of those who lost lives and loved ones on thattragic day. Yes the editing could have been better but for whatessentially is a low budget film by a fairly inexperienced director itis an entertaining viewpoint into the life of one of Britain's mostfamous football casuals. The acting was brilliant all round and most ofthe fight scenes well choreographed even if they did lack the gore ofrise of the foot soldier (a brilliant film about the life of Carltonleech) or the high budget effects of greenstreet (a Hollywood let downin the football violence genre) yes this is no ID or The Firm but it isa good honest insight into what went on and IS based on real eventsunlike the aforementioned 2 films
User: tonynature-1Added: 26 January 2009
Vote: 2
spare a moment (or 2) to consider what this film's really about before forming a final opinion
judging by the comments left by men wanting to see an accuratelydepicted film on footie thuggery this is not a decent hooligan flick.
I am not sure what the attraction is behind hooliganism, I mean don'tget me wrong i profess to be no angel.
I am a 34yr old working class south londoner who has had (in my day ofcourse) many a stupidly drunken night and day which have occasionallyled to tear ups resulting in victory and defeat, but packs of tooled upgeezer's week after week year after year to then turn around and claimto be some national violence hierarchy! nah mate i ain't 'avin it.
what was/is truly remarkable about this is 1 solitary black manspossibly god given path to stay and keep his head way above the wateragainst any off the odds and become not only a player but rankedelitely among the top dogs if not the top.
I for most of my childhood grew not too far from Cass's home town andwere subject to similar experience's but had the sanctity of a home towhich I culturally belonged. coincidentally I have also known Nonso inmy past and I am truly proud at his portrayal of the man. as for Elaine(Cass's wife) not knowing a damned thing about the man's better half Ifelt that Natalie Press was not wooden or poor but actually quite sweetand find that viewers and critics alike expect Hollywood stellarperformances far too often from actors portraying sweet n simpleeveryday fault filled folk.
sadly (or maybe not so sadly) the budget was low so the film was keptgritty and simple as was working class Britain back then but thesentiment was high.
a simple but great "1 man against the world and winning" story.
Added: 18 July 2009
Vote: 1
Average Brit Hooligan Flick
This is the bio-pic of Cass Pennant who rose through the ranks of themuch feared West Ham Inter-City Firm of football casuals . What makesit slightly different from other films in the sub genre is that theprotagonist is black when being being black was unfashionable to saythe least . The audience are left with the feeling that screenwriter/director Jon S Baird is trying to tell a story of social relevanceinvolving a black child being adopted by a white couple but decided tojust chronicle the activities of the ICF since this is the sellingpoint of the movie
For a film that involves a football tribe it's rather average with theusual shouts of " FAHK " and " KANT " in mockney accents which probablysums up how self limiting the hooligan sub genre is . There's nothingyou've got here that hasn't been done before and has probably been donebetter in THE FOOTBALL FACTORY . Perhaps the worst failing is the leadperformance by Nonso Anozie as the eponymous anti hero . It's not a badperformance at all but Anozie comes across as being far too likable toplay someone who breaks heads for a hobby
Added: 15 March 2010
Vote: 1
Finally, a real man
Way more than just a football thuggery story, as our protagonist has toweave his way from being an orphaned Black kid (Nonso Anozie) raised byWhite foster parents in a predominantly White London east endneighborhood to being a self-respected man with a job, family and peaceof mind. Along this most circuitous route, he encounters racism by bothWhites and Blacks: by Whites because of his color and by Blacks becauseof his cockneyed "White" sounding speech patterns and by his reluctanceto "go Black" to his so-called African/Jamaican roots. He is quitecontent to merely be himself and is fully comfortable with hisCaucasian foster parents who brought him up with love and attention. Hecares far more about his family and his mates than for some artificialand ephemeral political/racial cause. The jail cell scene with the backand forth dialogue between Cass and his "Rasta-ish" cell-mate bearsthis point out.
But his issues with the aforementioned football thuggery with itsconcomitant need for constant revenge through violence is keeping himfrom the realization of his true inner self, the real man he wants tobe. The thrust of this film deals with how, over long periods of time,he must manage to extricate those inner demons in order to achieve anysort of lasting peace. And a superlative job indeed is done to portraythis metamorphosis by Jon Baird & co., especially the lead role byNonso. No fancy existential/psychological drama in this hard-hitting,straight-forward piece: just a man in search of himself with the hopesof finding some semblance of a peaceful, fulfilling existence.
Added: 10 December 2008
Vote: 8
Powerful story of a rise against racism and oppression
I wouldn't usually bother leaving a comment, but I just finishedwatching Cass and was surprised to see people had slated the film hereat IMDb.. perhaps leaving other folk interested in unique individualsworth reading about to overlook such a powerful story.
If you are looking for consistent violence in a movie, it's not themovie your looking for. This film, and the underline story, is one ofsomeones rise from ultimately unfair odd's.. and onto the best at whatwas offered. This also offers a valuable insight into an otherwisemindless brute, and to see the notions for his behaviour..
Bottom line: Watch the movie if you detest racism.. don't bother ifyour going to overlook all that and have a whine at the end because youdidn't see enough blood.
Added: 19 July 2009
Vote: 2
Barnardo's Bovver Boy.
This is the film adaptation of how one Carol "Cass" Pennant rose frombeing an orphaned black boy, adopted by a white middle aged couple, tobeing a leader of the notorious football hooligan firm, The ICF.
You know what's funny,? that one of the most well known names in theworld of British Football Hooliganism is the last in the line offootball violence related medium's. Had this film, and Cass' book beenten years ago, it surely would have had a greater impact. Going back towhen the Brimson Brothers decided to write about a topic nobody butthose involved understood in the mid 90s {source Everywhere We Go},there has been books galore from what seems almost every footie hooliemob going. Throw in all the films and documentaries that have found adistributor since Gary Oldman starrer, The Firm 1988 {ID, FootballFactory, Green Street and The Rise Of A Footsoldier etc}, well it's apretty exhausted subject. So much so, that it's only really those of acertain age, and of an inclination to the topic, that can get much outof what essentially feels like a belated cash in.
In Cass' favour is that Pennant does have an interesting back storyfrom which to launch from. His upbringing, and early struggles withracism is nicely dealt with. It put me in mind with Caroline Gall'sbook about hooligan outfit Zulu Warriors, where the black and white mixof races became united at football matches {see what I mean about thisfilm trailing in others wake's}. So it be with Cass, it does have a bitof heart to go with its obvious shouty muscle. But here in lies anotherproblem with the film, where does it want to go,? what is it asking ortelling us,? is Cass conflicted emotionally,? or is he merely using histroubled youth as an excuse for pounding some poor Newcastle fans headin?. Pertinent questions that aren't properly answered I feel. There'sa nice sequence with Cass in prison, as his racial standing is calledinto question by a patois spouting convict, but outside of that thefilm flits between being about a troubled man to an all punching thug.Something that, as I mentioned earlier, is pretty much old hat now guv.
Nonso Anozie does good work as Pennant, and Natalie Press continues tobe effective in these type of roles {see Fifty Dead Men Walking}, whilethe underused Tamer Hassan asserts his scenes in another typecast role.I personally enjoyed the film because I can see that those involvedthought a good film could be made about the matters at hand, but I'mafraid that anyone hoping for something fresh are in for one big letdown. 6/10
Added: 15 December 2009
Vote: 2
Failed. Unoriginal, ambitious.
I watched this film unwillingly with some friends thinking it was someviolent-glorification of ugly, football hooligans Looking back, I wouldhave preferred this much more than what the film actually was - a lame2 hour drama which had to be endured rather than enjoyed.
I felt so disengaged throughout the whole movie - possibly because ofhow amateur and unoriginal the film looked and felt. Its ambitiousattempts to be dramatic and truthful failed miserably.
The script does have a strong moral center about racism, being anoutcast, belonging and family. Unfortunately these story elements arelost in a badly executed production.
Added: 5 July 2009
Vote: 3
Proves that you don't have to be white..to be 'British'..
An elderly white couple, adopt a child from Jamaica and raise him upduring the 70's...I chronicles his life from being racially attacked...to actually attacking people for his beloved football team.
The character of Cass is a man who blindingly loves his country andmust face prosecution from others and constantly told he does notbelong...I loved his rise, and the respect he accumulates from people.
I found the prison part to be very fascinating as another JamiacanBritish cell mate tells him about why he should care for his roots, andCass's place in the world.
The fight scenes were brilliantly shot and show Great Britain's hardmen...We are not all like Hugh Grant..LOL..
A good solid film with a great cast of actors..
Added: 11 January 2009
Vote: 2
well worth a watch
I thought after reading some of the bad comments on this film that Ishould leave a comment. The film seems to capture 80's England and Ithought it gripping and flowed at a good pace to keep my interest tothe very end - (my wife says I nearly always fall asleep before the endof a film). I watched this DVD with my 18yr old daughter who alsoenjoyed it as good entertainment and a brief historic view to whatfootball hooligans were like, she had no idea this happened back then.I also agree the use of news footage from the time only adds to howgenuine this film feels. Nice to see ex West Ham and Celtic strikergetting a very small part in the pub in Newcastle.
User: scottydewhurstAdded: 1 April 2010
Vote: 2
Very familiar !! feel like I've seen it all before
I enjoyed this film just enough to watch the whole 90 minutes, but itfelt like i had already seen a dozen movies like this - footballfactory, green street, rise of the footsoldier, the firm (2009version). it was a film that left me feeling unsatisfied for somereason, i cannot explain.
The story is simple - A black baby raised by a white couple, who growsup in London. He grows up in very racist times and as he gets older heearns his respect by fighting rival fans at football games(he is a WestHam fan). This is the third football film in the last 3 years thatrevolves around West Ham united, (Green Street and Rise of the footsoldier) which is pretty tiring, as it makes you wish that the maincharacter supported another dam team for once! Now one thing i willgive this film credit for is the acting. you get a pretty goodperformance from Nonso Anozie and Leo Gregory, who you will notice fromgreen street. Tamer Hassan also has a bit of screen time who you willrecognise from the football factory and he does his tough man actpretty well.
And thats basically it...... a football hooligan, no other story apartfrom the obvious confrontations that brings his way. He meets a womensettles down and end of story. I'll admit that i felt cheated by thisfilm, i thought there would be a better story....but never mind.
If you are a huge fan of these hooligan films then by all means youwill love it, but if like me, you are getting bored of these type offilms then stay away
By Scott Dewhurst
Added: 9 August 2008
Vote: 14
Disappointing latest entry into the 'football hooligan' movie genre
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
A film highlighting the true story of Cass Pennant (Nonso Anozie) ababy born to a Jamaican mother who was raised by a white working classcouple who's doorstep he landed on. The film charts his youth gettinghis first taste of football violence in it's heyday of the early 70s,through to a decade later when he was leading London's top firm The ICF(Inter City Firm) into battle, which ended up getting him a lengthyspell in jail. He came out and tried to turn his life around, gettinginto the nightclub doorman business, but his past caught up with himand after an attempt on his life, he turned his back on his old lifefor good, and is now respected as a renowned author.
After the true life story of Carlton Leach was documented in the woefulmisfire Rise of the Foot Soldier, Cass arrives trying to do the samething with (black) ICF leader Pennant. "The Football Factory meets Thisis England" a praise caption (for want of better phrasing) proclaimedwhen I first saw the poster for this. Okay, already I was thinking 80sBritain, Thatcher, hooliganism, a bit grim. I wasn't disappointed inthis respect, but in others Cass did disappoint me quite badly.
For a film that's ended up on the big screen, the film looks remarkablycheap, like it's more suited as a TV film than here. Up until the end,for some reason director Jon S Baird has shot his film in a grainy,blurry style that you can't help but notice. Maybe this was to helpgive off a feel of how bleak and grim life in England during the 70sand 80s was, but it didn't come off as too subtle with me. The use ofstock footage from old news reels showing the football violence alsodidn't help in this respect. But aside from this, the film goes togreat pains to dramatize Cass's life story veering away from anyexciting football action, but rather than involve us in the end thefilm has come off more as dull and boring unfortunately.
The film benefits from an undeniably fine lead performance from Anozieas the titular character, an articulate thug with a lot of pent upanger in him but who also has an intelligent side that comes to be hisguiding light. He does try and justify his actions at points by blamingthem on Thatcher, as when talking about his clashes with police atgames, saying 'they were her army versus ours' without realizing nomatter heavy handed they might have been, they were trying to stopviolence rather than cause it. Nathalie Press as the girl who becomeshis wife tries hard but her voice is rather annoying and grating andthis put me off a bit. Leo Gregory, who was also in Green Street, isgood in a supporting role as Cass's mate. Tamer Hassan does his usualglaring, quietly menacing hardman act and Dennis Pennis himself PaulKaye also does well as the man behind Cass's shooting. Performanceswise, there's really nothing wrong with the film, it's in other areasit lets itself down.
The distributors picked a stupid time to release it, as it reallydidn't stand a chance at this time of year, up against bigger filmslike The Dark Knight, the new X-Files film and The Love Guru. Iremember seeing a little feature on it on the news, which now makes methink it was just desperate for any publicity it could get. It hadabout one showing time when I went to see it, but the theatre waspacked and it seems to have had a stay of execution for this week too,so maybe it'll do better than it seemed.
It's not awful by any means, with some strong performances and aninteresting story, that sadly came off as dull rather than how itshould have. **
Added: 16 January 2009
Vote: 10
Not just another hooligan film: works as a good drama in its own right
Sure Cass is about hooliganism and has enough of that to fit the bill,but this is good enough to be mainstream viewing.
We found it much better than we expected: good central performances anda great arc lift this from its genre to something better.
It really looks and sounds (the language is what is was, every secondword is filth, but then it was) like the British East End 80s down tothe council flat doors.
I can honestly recommend this a good well-made film about life inBritain in the early 80s, it is a little light on production anddirecting values, it is shot too simplistically, but the story is welldelivered, it is probably not for your granny (unless she's a hardnut), but deserves a wider audience than just 20 year old males with afootie hard on.
Added: 12 December 2008
Vote: 9
Interesting biopic, not such good acting
This film was of a real interest to me as it was produced by the sameproducer as Green Street, and having watched it I feel more informed,if a little frustrated.
The film centres around the character of Cass Pennant, a real lifehooligan and 80's icon for hooliganism. Adopted into a white family, inan age of racism and violence, Cass finds his natural environment inthe place where you would have thought he would be the biggest victim.
The script is based on Cass Pennants book 'Cass', and you can't helpbut feel it was copied and pasted from novel to script. The mainproblem is that this could have been one of the best football thugfilms if they had managed to get decent actors. Not that they don't doa good job, its just not great. Nonso Anozie is pretty good as the maincharacter Cass, its interesting to see a generally soft naturedcharacter flip out now and again in a hooligan film instead of thetypical hot-headed cockney. The rest of the cast however don't supporthim very well, and it seems as though they are forcing the drama ratherthan acting in a biopic.
Overall though, its an interesting insight into a real character inhooliganism, how he ended up, and kept going back, in the hooligan'business'. If you are looking for another rise of the foot-soldier ora football factory type film, then this may not be for you.
Added: 4 August 2008
Vote: 22
Over Ambitious, Under Resourced Biopic
As a contemporary of Pennant, and veteran of the 1970's and 1980'sterrace culture,I was keen for this film to succeed. Sadly, with somegood intentions, it fails, and joins the other flawed attempts torecreate the halcyon days of the hooligan. The authenticity of thebackground to the film is often well observed. But Director Jon Bairdfails to have the expertise, or I suspect the budget, to faithfullyrealise the period..
Pennant's biography is well written, and a good read. It also coversover 40 years. A 108 minute screen running time, was always likely tobe crippled by compromise, vignette and crude symbolism, and so itturns out. His story does have dramatic potential and sociologicalsignificance but neither Baird nor Pennant have the discipline or know-how to deliver it.
For lovers of football violence, there is not a lot of it. Three 20 aside rucks with Wolves, Leeds and Newcastle are the set pieces. For an18 Certificate the grizzly reality of these confrontations is prettysanitised giving succour to the dreamy, romantic retrospection that itwas just like minded boys fighting, and finding a sense of family inhooligan gangs.
The key scene when one of Pennants lieutenants gets jumped by threeArsenal thugs and is slashed to ribbons needing 1000 stitches isstrangely understated .Its setting is grimly authentic, three againstone, the assailants armed, no chance of defence or escape for thevictim. Yet we see only the healed welts on the victims face some timelater, not the grim reality of a cowardly, bloody attack.
As a child the casual racism and bullying which "Carol" suffers,alongside a complete lack of personal identity, is well observed.Bravely, time is also found for racism he suffers at the hands of ablack Rasta in jail. When his mother dies unexpectedly, his remorse atnot having told her how much he loved her is genuinely poignant. Sadlythough, these promising scenes are sketched in the same shorthand asthe violent ones , which is very frustrating.
The "rucks" themselves are fleshed out with some ageing faces from thepast, Bill Gardener,Mark Chester from Stoke, and Gilly from Wolvesamongst them. It does not help the realism of the scenes to have timeworn middle aged men in amongst what was a pretty exclusively youngcrowd at the time. This sop to some old boys to enable them to relivetheir youth is pretty risible. Equally Pennant himself appearsuncredited as a bouncer alongside Frank Bruno, also uncredited.WestHam's North Bank and Chicken Run are not mentioned once, the South Bankgets two unreferenced name checks.
One of the best moments in the book is when Pennant steps in to save arandom black kid from getting a beating from some racist skinheads –only to discover that he has saved Frank Bruno! Pennants closesubsequent links with the boxing fraternity are only dealt with inshort hand in the film and his chance meeting with a similarlyincarcerated Ambrose Mendy left out all together, as is, inexplicably,his "saving" of Bruno.
Virtual unknown Nonso Anozeo, successfully carries off the role of theadult Pennant.Tamer Hassan plays a convincing cameo as boxer Ray..Otherwise the ensemble provides background only to the main events.However the fundamental rush of football hooliganism, the massedclashes of sometimes several thousand protagonists is missing. Asothers have found ,it is very difficult to recreate with so many of theold grounds gone. What grounds and stands do remain are out of boundsto "hoolie" film makers from clubs eager to protect their sanitisedreputation.
The hackneyed use of Thatcherite film clips as she pronounces on asubject she knows nothing about is cheap and adds nothing. Amusingly,shots of the infamous Millwall riot at Luton are shown twice, butMillwall, the ICF's great rivals are not mentioned once.
As a stand alone bio pic this is poor. Pennant is no Mandela. If youwere there, there is enough to keep your interest but not enough to winyour praise. In aiming to be more than a "hoolie film", this bio pictries to achieve much, but ultimately falls victim to its own overambition and vanity.
