Cass (2008)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Let's be realistic.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

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...After a string of dismal football hooligan movies and dodgy sequels, and the majority of Nick Love films and the fact that Tamar Hassan is in it, you'd be forgiven for giving this a wide birth.but this isn't just another football film, this is about a man who wanted prejudice to be about who he supported, not the colour of his skin.It's a very gritty made film, with not a lot of violence, and it feels like it's the eighties, not looking like the eighties, if you know what i mean.All of the cast are very good (even Hassan), and although some of the settings are reminiscent of the original 'The Firm', this still stands head and shoulders above films like Green Street, Football Factory and ID.Not for everybody's taste, but a very heartfelt story, and proof that people could stand up in Maggies Millions

I enjoyed this film just enough to watch the whole 90 minutes, but it felt like i had already seen a dozen movies like this - football factory, green street, rise of the footsoldier, the firm (2009 version). it was a film that left me feeling unsatisfied for some reason, i cannot explain.The story is simple - A black baby raised by a white couple, who grows up in London. He grows up in very racist times and as he gets older he earns his respect by fighting rival fans at football games(he is a West Ham fan). This is the third football film in the last 3 years that revolves around West Ham united, (Green Street and Rise of the foot soldier) which is pretty tiring, as it makes you wish that the main character supported another dam team for once! Now one thing i will give this film credit for is the acting. you get a pretty good performance from Nonso Anozie and Leo Gregory, who you will notice from green street. Tamer Hassan also has a bit of screen time who you will recognise from the football factory and he does his tough man act pretty well. And thats basically it...... a football hooligan, no other story apart from the obvious confrontations that brings his way. He meets a women settles down and end of story. I'll admit that i felt cheated by this film, 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 you will love it, but if like me, you are getting bored of these type of films then stay awayBy Scott Dewhurst

Way more than just a football thuggery story, as our protagonist has to weave his way from being an orphaned Black kid (Nonso Anozie) raised by White foster parents in a predominantly White London east end neighborhood to being a self-respected man with a job, family and peace of mind. Along this most circuitous route, he encounters racism by both Whites and Blacks: by Whites because of his color and by Blacks because of his cockneyed "White" sounding speech patterns and by his reluctance to "go Black" to his so-called African/Jamaican roots. He is quite content to merely be himself and is fully comfortable with his Caucasian foster parents who brought him up with love and attention. He cares far more about his family and his mates than for some artificial and ephemeral political/racial cause. The jail cell scene with the back and forth dialogue between Cass and his "Rasta-ish" cell-mate bears this point out. But his issues with the aforementioned football thuggery with its concomitant need for constant revenge through violence is keeping him from the realization of his true inner self, the real man he wants to be. 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 any sort of lasting peace. And a superlative job indeed is done to portray this metamorphosis by Jon Baird & co., especially the lead role by Nonso. No fancy existential/psychological drama in this hard-hitting, straight-forward piece: just a man in search of himself with the hopes of finding some semblance of a peaceful, fulfilling existence.

I wouldn't usually bother leaving a comment, but I just finished watching Cass and was surprised to see people had slated the film here at IMDb.. perhaps leaving other folk interested in unique individuals worth reading about to overlook such a powerful story.If you are looking for consistent violence in a movie, it's not the movie your looking for. This film, and the underline story, is one of someones rise from ultimately unfair odd's.. and onto the best at what was offered. This also offers a valuable insight into an otherwise mindless brute, and to see the notions for his behaviour..Bottom line: Watch the movie if you detest racism.. don't bother if your going to overlook all that and have a whine at the end because you didn't see enough blood.