2007·Action·1h 59m
7.0
★
Rise of the Footsoldier follows the inexorable rise of Carlton Leach from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late eighties and early nineties.
Directed by Julian Gilbey
hooligan
drugs
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Ricci Harnett
Carlton Leach
Terry Stone
Tony Tucker
Craig Fairbrass
Pat Tate
Roland Manookian
Craig Rolfe
Coralie Rose
Denny
Neil Maskell
Darren Nicholls
Billy Murray
Mickey Steele
Ian Virgo
Jimmy Gerenuk
Kierston Wareing
Kate Carter
Patrick Regis
Eddie
Lara Belmont
Karen
Emily Beecham
Kelly
Crew
Andrew Loveday
Executive Producer
Rocky Taylor
Stunt Coordinator
Levan Doran
Stunts
Popular Reviews
29 reviews
Theo Lovett
5.0★ · 01/02/26
Should not of watched this with the wife and kids, my son’s just tried to sniff flour off his sisters doll.
Should not of watched this with the wife and kids, my son’s just tried to sniff flour off his sisters doll.
FK
4.0★ · 07/11/25
Wish I didn’t watch the “extreme” version meant I had to sit through and extra 20 minutes 🥱
Wish I didn’t watch the “extreme” version meant I had to sit through and extra 20 minutes 🥱
Kip Merton
6.0★ · 05/10/25
day in the life of a true brexit geeza
day in the life of a true brexit geeza
Chuffy
7.0★ · 02/25/25
“You soppy, greedy, gullible cunt”
“You soppy, greedy, gullible cunt”
Aaron McNameePRO
7.0★ · 02/18/25
“If you’re gonna shoot, shoot. Don’t talk about it.”
This is a film that revels in its own brutality, charting the rise and inevitable fall of Carlton Leach a football hooligan turned criminal enforcer, with a relentless, almost operatic level of violence.
From its blistering opening, where Leach’s fists become the instrument of his ambition, to the infamous Rettendon murders that anchor the film’s climax, Footsoldier moves with a savage energy. The timeline-spanning narrative doesn’t always hold together, flitting between the football terraces, the rave scene, and the Essex underworld, but what it lacks in structure, it makes up for in sheer force.
Ricci Harnett’s lead performance is raw and uncompromising, his transformation from thug to underworld player carrying a simmering intensity. Terry Stone and Craig Fairbrass provide solid support, but it’s Roland Manookian’s turn as the unhinged, coked-up Craig Rolfe that steals the show.
Where Rise of the Footsoldier falters is in its storytelling, more a highlight reel of criminal excess than a fully fleshed-out narrative. It wants to be both a cautionary tale and a glorification of its characters, never quite committing to either. But as a fan of hard-hitting, blood-soaked British crime films, it delivers exactly what it promises.
A brutal, kinetic ride, more fists than finesse, but undeniably gripping.
Worth the watch.
This is a film that revels in its own brutality, charting the rise and inevitable fall of Carlton Leach a football hooligan turned criminal enforcer, with a relentless, almost operatic level of violence.
From its blistering opening, where Leach’s fists become the instrument of his ambition, to the infamous Rettendon murders that anchor the film’s climax, Footsoldier moves with a savage energy. The timeline-spanning narrative doesn’t always hold together, flitting between the football terraces, the rave scene, and the Essex underworld, but what it lacks in structure, it makes up for in sheer force.
Ricci Harnett’s lead performance is raw and uncompromising, his transformation from thug to underworld player carrying a simmering intensity. Terry Stone and Craig Fairbrass provide solid support, but it’s Roland Manookian’s turn as the unhinged, coked-up Craig Rolfe that steals the show.
Where Rise of the Footsoldier falters is in its storytelling, more a highlight reel of criminal excess than a fully fleshed-out narrative. It wants to be both a cautionary tale and a glorification of its characters, never quite committing to either. But as a fan of hard-hitting, blood-soaked British crime films, it delivers exactly what it promises.
A brutal, kinetic ride, more fists than finesse, but undeniably gripping.
Worth the watch.
“If you’re gonna shoot, shoot. Don’t talk about it.”
This is a film that revels in its own brutality, charting the rise and inevitable fall of Carlton Leach a football hooligan turned criminal enforcer, with a relentless, almost operatic level of violence.
From its blistering opening, where Leach’s fists become the instrument of his ambition, to the infamous Rettendon murders that anchor the film’s climax, Footsoldier moves with a savage energy. The timeline-spanning narrative doesn’t always hold together, flitting between the football terraces, the rave scene, and the Essex underworld, but what it lacks in structure, it makes up for in sheer force.
Ricci Harnett’s lead performance is raw and uncompromising, his transformation from thug to underworld player carrying a simmering intensity. Terry Stone and Craig Fairbrass provide solid support, but it’s Roland Manookian’s turn as the unhinged, coked-up Craig Rolfe that steals the show.
Where Rise of the Footsoldier falters is in its storytelling, more a highlight reel of criminal excess than a fully fleshed-out narrative. It wants to be both a cautionary tale and a glorification of its characters, never quite committing to either. But as a fan of hard-hitting, blood-soaked British crime films, it delivers exactly what it promises.
A brutal, kinetic ride, more fists than finesse, but undeniably gripping.
Worth the watch.
This is a film that revels in its own brutality, charting the rise and inevitable fall of Carlton Leach a football hooligan turned criminal enforcer, with a relentless, almost operatic level of violence.
From its blistering opening, where Leach’s fists become the instrument of his ambition, to the infamous Rettendon murders that anchor the film’s climax, Footsoldier moves with a savage energy. The timeline-spanning narrative doesn’t always hold together, flitting between the football terraces, the rave scene, and the Essex underworld, but what it lacks in structure, it makes up for in sheer force.
Ricci Harnett’s lead performance is raw and uncompromising, his transformation from thug to underworld player carrying a simmering intensity. Terry Stone and Craig Fairbrass provide solid support, but it’s Roland Manookian’s turn as the unhinged, coked-up Craig Rolfe that steals the show.
Where Rise of the Footsoldier falters is in its storytelling, more a highlight reel of criminal excess than a fully fleshed-out narrative. It wants to be both a cautionary tale and a glorification of its characters, never quite committing to either. But as a fan of hard-hitting, blood-soaked British crime films, it delivers exactly what it promises.
A brutal, kinetic ride, more fists than finesse, but undeniably gripping.
Worth the watch.