Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Peter Pluymers Low-budget indie films originating from the UK don't always guarantee quality. "Top dog" is proof of that. The meager attempt to blend hooliganism within English football with local crime which is connected with the more notorious mafia of the country, unfortunately turned into a fiasco. The idea isn't bad. Only they've dropped a few stitches in the implementation of it. The result doesn't leave a lasting impression and can safely be classified as another third-rate crime movie.It's the story about Billy Evans (Leo Gregory), leader of a group of supporters of an English football club who spend their weekends with beating up supporters of the opponent. He's an exemplary family man and a person who's trusted by his blood brothers. The day he wants to help his uncle and aunt to get rid of a local extortionist gang, he doesn't realize what hornet's nest he's getting himself into. Before he knows it, he finds himself in a tricky situation with unpleasant consequences as a result. He starts to realize that hooliganism and mafia practices are two totally different disciplines.Normally I'm always pleased with the performances in a British film, but this time something bothered me at that level. The most eye-catching performance came from Lorraine Stanley (wife of Billy's best friend). Gregory was at times convincing as the cold-blooded and unstirred leader of football fans. But during the emotional moments it all looked kind of silly. Ricci Harnett, the Machiavellian gang leader with his accompanying mocking grin, was the most intriguing character. Unfortunately he behaved like a beaten dog when sitting in front of the big chief Mr. Watson (Vincent Regan). Yet strange that such a confident thug like Mickey, and always accompanied by two bodyguards, can be beleaguered in such a simple manner. Most likely an underestimation of the opponent.Ultimately, it's just a typical film about thugs and hooligans. The story didn't provide the necessary tension. Needless to say there were also some ridiculous scenes. Such as when the police wants to question Billy about a brawl. Billy flees and before you know it, the complete police force (and special task force) is chasing him, as if he's an escaped, most-wanted terrorist. Slightly exaggerated. The clashes in Mickey's clubs looked rather amateurish and contrived. If you want to watch a decent film about the English underworld, then I suggest you watch "Legend". And I am convinced there are better movies about hooliganism. "Top dog" was certainly not Premier League.More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

Spikeopath Directed by Martin Kemp and written by Dougie Brimson, Top Dog stars Leo Gregory, Ricci Harnett, Vincent Regan, Danielle Brent and Lorraine Stanley. Plot finds Gregory as a top London football hooligan who bites off more than he can chew when he muscles in on a gangster's racket action. The British hooligan film band wagon rolls on these days regardless of quality. Where once was a viable space for these genre films to create interest and a bit of shock and awe, now is an area crammed with lads movies for lads movies sake. Top Dog is a poor film, full of half hearted performances, where most the cast realise it's once again just easy money to be made, limp direction (poor fight scenes and cheese dialogue), and a screenplay that simply adds nothing new to the over stuffed clichéd topics to hand - insultingly the audience gets to know practically nothing about the main players. It will of course have found an audience, we know this because stuff like this keeps getting made, but the high wire days of The Football Factory (2004) and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) now seem very far away. 3/10

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday MorningBilly Evans (Leo Gregory) used to be the head of the toughest football firm in the East End, but has now settled down to a quiet family life, with a successful car dealership business under his belt. But he is forced to gather his old crew back together when new face on the crime scene Mickey (Ricci Harnett) starts running protection on some old friends of his. This results in a calamitous battle of wills that sets in motion a devastating chain of events that sets him on a collision course with the sinister Watson (Vincent Regan), the shadowy figure controlling Mickey and his mob.These East End gangster/hooligan films are all pretty interchangeable, yet they obviously have a pretty big following, given the volume and momentum with which the new ones appear on the scene. Leo Gregory would be one such genre favourite, who appears with some regularity in these offerings, and here he is in this latest addition directed by Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp, which seems to have appeared out of nowhere with less than a flurry of publicity. This may not be hard to comprehend, since while it's the latest addition to the genre, it offers nothing new and nothing to inject the field with any substance or quality.Kemp only ever really attained mild success as an actor, and if this is his style as a director, he may get stopped even sooner in his tracks. Somehow, this projects a really cheap, amateurish look about it, like a film student effort, not even up to the standards of a TV movie. In amongst the barrage of mockney slang and clichés, there are some moments of suitably hair raising, shocking violence and the performances are stellar enough. Gregory has a passion and flair in his manner that suggests he's really trying, while as the highest calibre actor on offer, Regan steals the show as the softly spoken, methodical psychopath. But this is still too much of a low grade, dirt cheap effort to be anything more than just the very sum of it's parts. **

leonblackwood Review: This is yet another typical English East End movie about a football hooligan who uses his firm to take down a underground firm. Once he finds out that he has bitten off more than he can chew, he has gone way too far and his whole world comes crumbling down around him. I was expecting something original from the director, Martin Kemp, who is famous for starring in the Krays, but it just turns out to be an average cockney movie which we have seen many times before. As usual, we have your graphic hooligan violence with loads of swearing but the director did try and give the movie some depth by making the main character have an successful business and a loving family. In all, it's not that original but it's watchable! Average!Round-Up: Leo Gregory seems to act the same in all his movies, so it wasn't that surprising to see him playing this role. It's the same for all of the characters, like Vincent Reagan who always plays an convincing tough nut and a joy to watch. My main problem with the film is that it's quite predictable, even though the ending tried to twist the plot to make it interesting. I recommend this movie to people who are into there typical English East End gangster movies about a football hooligan taking on an underground mob. 3/10