Review of St George's Day

Two cousins, Ray and Mickey, are the joint bosses of one of London's largest, home-grown, criminal empires. Whilst Ray is more focused on his now respectable appearance, with golf-club memberships and the like, Mickey keeps his eye on the street. In the knowledge that times are changing, the old-school gangsters are keen to keep a tight rein on their henchmen and lieutenants. Then when a deal gone wrong with an East European criminal organisation culminates with a mass shooting in South London, Mickey and Ray conclude that the only way to put things right will be to commit a diamond robbery – ripping off another criminal group – in Europe. Going onto the continent to carry out the crime, they ingeniously use an England v Germany football match as cover, and so travel with a large group of football hooligans, led by Mickey's older brother (an ageing thug). However, unknown to them until it's too late, one of the hooligans is posting messages on the internet in order to provoke mass fights with the German hooligan gangs – bringing Mickey, Ray and their robbers, into direct police attention. All the while, they are being tracked by a die-hard London Police Detective, intent on bringing Mickey and Ray down. But then into the chaotic mix, prior to pulling off the diamond heist, it becomes apparent that one of the gang is an informer… "Saint George's Day" is an ambitious, British crime thriller which fuses football hooliganism with gangsterism – although as separate entities rather than as one extended concept. There are many contemporary themes within the story, to its merit, and for the most part it succeeds in bringing these to life in an entertaining way – but it is hampered by an unnecessarily drawn-out attempt at character study of the two leads, by several recurring and tiresome clichés and with its questionable depiction of the London underworld.