Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021)

I've been anticipating this movie for a while now, I'm a huge fan of the franchise and even more so the actual story of the Essex boys, I was glad when they announced it was going to be the tony tucker story as that hasn't really been told on screen apart from bits and pieces, I've gotta be honest this was brilliant and easily the best since the first one, don't get me wrong I love the previous 3 too but this one is a different beast, it's clear from the get go this is aiming for bigger things, it looks fantastic, slickly made and has a brilliant soundtrack, while it is still violent and everyone reprises there roles from the previous 2 films, the over the top attitude of the previous 2 is gone, this is much more in line with the first film, but in many ways has an even bleaker tone, there is no glamour here, there is nothing to admire, just a hellish decent into the world of drugs, junkies, low life's and the world they inhabit, it's got the best cast of all the films and the returning suspects are as good as ever but I must stress terry stone is incredible here, this is is the best acting of his career and he brings a side of tucker you have never seen before, Craig fairbrass is brilliant too but truth be told he isn't in this much, vinnie Jones was brilliant as Bernard o Mahoney too, where as the last two films was mostly fiction this one is a little more based on reality but as with most true crime movies it still adds a lot of fictional elements, but has a more realistic tone and truly shows the sinister murky life these guys were living, I loved this movie so much and I cannot wait to get hold of the blu ray.