Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3407 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-12-29
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 108 minutes

Special Features

• Behind the scenes featurette
• Short film: It's a Casual Life
• Cass Pennant in his own words
• Trailer
• TV spots
• Commentary with director Jon S Baird, producer Stefan Haller and actor Nonso Anozie
  

Synopsis
Dramatisation of the events surrounding the life of Cass Pennant; one of the best-known figures of the infamous West Ham hooligan outfit, the I.C.F. (Inter City Firm). Cass Pennant (Nonson Anozie, ATONEMENT) was placed in a Dr. Barnados orphange as a baby in 1950s London. A black child adopted by an elderly white couple, Cass was forced to endure constant racist bullying growing up. His pent-up rage exploded one day when he attended a West Ham game and becomes involved with Hammers hooligans as they take on a rival firm. Cass becomes hooked on the rush of the violence, as well as the acceptance and camaraderie. He quickly rises through the ranks of the West Ham hooligan element, later becoming head of the notorious Inter City Firm. As a six-foot-five black man in a predominantly white social group, he is picked out by the police during the government's clampdown on football hooliganism. After brushes with the law, Cass attempts to change the direction of his life by running a security firm. But old enemies are never far away.
CASS is a compelling film about the intriguing life of its subject and charts issues of class, race and masculinity across a number of decades, showcasing the seismic changes in British life. Nonson Anozie ably carries the film and is well supported by Nathalie Press (MY SUMMER OF LOVE) as his wife and Nick Love favourite Tammer Hassan (THE FOOTBALL FACTORY), among others.

Customer Reviews

How Did I Miss This Film?
What a little Gem. A black guy brought up by a white family, finds acceptance in the white community through the notorious West Ham United Inter City Firm.

Not just a mindless thug, it shows how Cass Pennant organised assaults on rival football hooligan firms with almost military precision.

Cass also shows us, that essentially as humans we just want acceptance by other people (sometimes at any cost).

NOT AS FLASHY AS MORE RECENT HOOLIGAN FILMS - PERHAPS A NOD TO 1988'S THE FIRM.....
Enjoyed this, and unlike Rise Of The Footsoldier, Green Street & The Football Factory, the emphasis is more on characters & story than the fighting. That's not to say that there isn't any, but it is far less violent than the other movies, nowhere near as much blood or graphic wounds etc. It's not showy, or over burdened with music like Football Factory. A lot of people who like the aforementioned movies may find this a little slow paced? It probably has more resemblance to the older hooligan movies like The Firm & ID! The cinematography is much more old fashioned, even a little grainy & actually suits the film. It's a style closer to Shane Meadows (This Is England) than the more brash, laddish direction of Nick Love - and with less cockernee style humour than is found in Love's movies.
The acting is fairly natural, and there are more than a few unpleasant characters as you would expect - the villains of the piece in this (True) story being a gang from Islington/Arsenal, which makes a change from Chelsea/Millwall!
Language is stronger than the violence; There's a hell of a lot of the C word which seems to be unrealistically in vogue over the past few years.
Extras aren't bad including a short film about a Soccer Casual which name checks my home town of Stoke! There's also a quite lengthy interview with Cass Pennant himself.
I don't really know how accurate these movies are - it's a culture that's a world away from what I grew up with, but this is probably the most believable one, and probably sticks closest to it's facts.

Lots of extra features and a brilliant lead performance.
Nonso Anozie who plays the lead role is briliant. He was also in Rocknrolla, Happy Go Lucky and Atonement, but this is his best performance to date. The extras look great aswell for a single disc dvd. Making of, short film and a documentary with the real Cass Pennant.