This week sees a Nick Love movie, in the form of The Firm, return to the big screen after a two year hiatus.
Football hooliganism is a subject that the filmmaker has tacked before but The Firm once again tackles the ugly side of the beautiful game.
Dom, a young wannabe football casual, who gets drawn into the charismatic but dangerous world of the firm's top boy, Bex.
Accepted for his fast mouth and sense of humour, Dom soon becomes one the boys. But as Bex and his ICF gang clash with rival firms across the country and the violence spirals out of control, Dom realizes he wants out - until he learns it's not that easy to simply walk away.
So here at FemaleFirst we took a look at the Nick Love movies that should be in your collection.
- Goodbye Charlie Bright
Released back in 2001 Goodbye Charlie Bright was Love's feature film debut as well as his first collaboration with British actor Danny Dyer.
Goodbye Charlie Bright is the humorous and heartwarming story of the friendship between two teenage boys from a south London council estate.
Set during a long, hot summer it charts their close but volatile relationship as it reaches breaking point and ultimately changes forever. It is about boys being young, living life to the full. Parties, drugs, petty crime, chasing girls, fighting.
Nick Love's movie debut was met well by the critics and the filmmaker's career was on the up.
- The Football Factory
Released in 2004 The Football Factory was another collaboration between Love and actor Danny Dyer and was an adaptation of the acclaimed novel by John King.
Tommy (Danny Dyer) feels a rush and a sense of belonging from his hooliganism; his life is going nowhere, and drinking, girls, and soccer are the only bright spots.
But escalating threats and violence, along with a series of terrifying dreams, force him to begin reconsidering his path.
- The Business
The Love/Dyer partnership returned for a third outing in 2005 with The Business as the filmmaker looked at the drug importing industry.
On the lam in 1980s England, Danny heads to the gangsters' paradise of Spain's Costa del Sol to make a delivery of cash to a noted ex-criminal, Charlie. There, Danny meets Charlie's nefarious inner circle and soon becomes embroiled in their outrageous outlaw lifestyle
- Outlaw
Director Nick Love is famous for looking at issues in his movies and in the past this has included drug smuggling in The Business and football violence in Football Factory. This time round is no different as Love highlights the problem with crime in this country, which is evident every time that you pick up a newspaper.
Although tackling dark issues Love always does so with a smile, a laugh thrown in every now and again just to ease the tension.
But not this time. Outlaw is dark raising real social and political issues which are very thought provoking as this group of men try to make a difference.
The film highlights the injustice of the law, a government who is failing to listen to its people and a war that is just a waste of British solider's lives.
While the story isn't original, following in the footsteps of Taxi Driver and The Untouchable, Outlaw is a tough, gritty brit-flick that does bring the issue of mindless violence, that is so evident in our society, a little too close for comfort.
Nick Love's next project is a big screen version of hit TV show The Sweeney, Love is also writing the script.
Tentatively expected to make cinemas in 2010 Ray Winstone and Michael Fassbender have been linked with the movie.
The Firm is released 18th September.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Nick Love