Rise of the Footsoldier

RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER charts the rapid rise of Carlton Leach, from feared football hooligan to him becoming a member of one of the country’s most notorious crime syndicates. Following his life over the course of three decades, the film follows Leach’s career from soccer thug, through a stint as a doorman and his involvement in the early rave scene, right through to his nadir as an integral part of a gang that ruled London and Essex during the late 80s and early 90s and would culminate in the infamous shotgun deaths of three of the firm’s members in Rettendon.

Rise of the Footsoldier (lets just call it Rise for short) is an extremly violent and grisly look at life from the point of view of Essex hard man.  Carlton Leach, played by Ricci Harnett, starts his adult life as a football hooligan and over the years progresses to a fully fledged Essex gangster with his own crew.  Along the way, he beats up, knifes and shoots at anyone that gets in his way.

However, the story gets even more violent after he meets and befriends Pat Tate (Craig Fairbrass) and Tony Tucker (Terry Stone) and it culminates in the horrific death of the two.  Based on a real life1995 hit which rendered the three victim’s face’s blown off at a secluded dirt track in Retterdon, it retains the facts and the actual characters as recounted in `Muscle’, the book written by Carlton Leach, the one of the surviving members of the gang.

Julian Gilbey directed and wrote Rise in conjunction with his brother Will.  Its only their second major release and it certainly shows a lot of promise from the young British film makers.  The violence might be a bit too over the top for some but I thoroughly enjoyed this film and it was refreshing to see a British gangster film that wasn’t trying to emulate Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.  The film only falters when towards the end it switches its focus and seems to forget that it’s based on an autobiography of Carlton Leach as opposed to a film about the Retterdon murders.

DVD extras include an exclusive interview with Carlton Leach, Commentary by Director (Julian Gilbey) and writer (Will Gilbey), Filming the Footsoldier: The Making of Rise Of The Footsoldier [75 mins], Deleted & Extended Scenes, Out Takes, Auditions, Production Stills and Trailers.