‘The world was changing… Essex was changing…’
One of my many current cinematic odysseys is my journey through the Rise of the Footsoldier films. Back in December of 2023, I proclaimed that “there is a crushing inevitability to the fact that I will no doubt end up watching all the films in the Footsoldier franchise”, and sure enough, here we are with number three…
We have already hit prequel territory with everyone killed off in the first film back for round three. That means no Carlton Leach (Ricci Harnett). The protagonist of the first two films is gone and in his place, Pat Tate (Craig Fairbrass) is thrust into centre stage. And in true Pat Tate style, he grabs this opportunity with both hands. Tony Tucker also returns as Terry Stone and the new faces include *checks notes* Shaun Ryder and notorious Irish traveller and bare-knuckle boxer Paddy Doherty. Ryder plays a character named Mad Dog by the way because of course he does.
While I enjoyed the darker tone of the second entry in the franchise, it feels like this film is the moment in which these movies truly hits their stride. Gone are the two-hour-plus running times of the first two entries (this one clocks in at less than 100 minutes) and the tone of the film is noticeably more preposterous this time around. At one point, Tate associate Kenny (Josh Myers) innocently asks the big man what their plans are for the night, at which point, Tate begins counting out cash and wildly barking “ONE PROSTITUTE! TWO PROSTITUTES! THREE PROSTITUTES!” much to Kenny’s consternation. It was at this moment that I knew the franchise had got me. I will watch films about Pat Tate until there are no more films to be made about Pat Tate. His unbridled lunacy knows no bounds and while nobody would claim he is a likeable character, he is genuinely compelling.
This is a film that prominently features violence, torture and misery and yet I found myself chuckling pretty much the entire time. Sometimes, you just need to watch something utterly ridiculous. You’ll struggle to find anything more ridiculous than Rise of the Footsoldier: The Pat Tate Story.
