I.D. (DVD)

The football violence genre is one that has been subject to interest to film makers for the past two decades but no film really comes close to I.D. when it comes down to encapsulating what the culture is about. Don't get me wrong, like every film before and after it there are elements of the film that are beyond belief, something that is always a great annoyance to me given that the subject matter needs no glorification. If the film-makers fully understood what they were dealing with, they wouldn't need to come up with far-fetched sub-plots to "enhance" the appeal of the film. But given that we always have to suspend reality, ...  Read the complete review

Made in 1995, this movie is set in the harsh industrial areas of the Isle of Dogs in East London, and follows four detectives from Shadwell CID as they go undercover and attempt to infiltrate the murky, violent world of the hooligans who follow Shadwell Town FC. This club is a very thinly-veiled depiction of Millwall – the real club hails from the same area of London, shares a reputation for violent supporters who cause trouble wherever they go, their nickname is ‘The Lions’ and their old ground on Cold Blow Lane was known as ‘The Den’. Shadwell revel in the moniker of ‘The Dogs’, their stadium is called ‘The Kennel’, ...  Read the complete review

I first saw this film when it was screened on BBC and immediately went out and bought it on video afterwards and watched the full unedited version which was even better. It is about one policemans decline into the world of football hooliganism. The film starts off with John who is a policeman looking for a big case to get himself noticed in order for a promotion and he gets one. The idea is to get four policemen to go undercover with some of the most violent football fans following a team called Shadwell in order to pinpoint the people who are causing all the trouble. We are then showed the last four coppers who tried this and are now in various states of ...  Read the complete review

This is a classic British film about football hooliganism, and really still stands out as THE classic in the genre. The plot follows four policemen who go undercover in order to infiltrate the organised crime of football hooliganism. The main character is John, who finds himself drawn into the comradery and power of the illegal activities, and his loyalties are questionned as he immerses himself deeper and deeper into the world. The acting in this film is excellent: solid performances are seen throughout, and even though the cast is British, they are competely believable which is quite something for a Brit flick in my own mind. The plot ...  Read the complete review

ID is about a group of undercover policemen going into a gang of hardcore football fans to find out where the power lies amongst the "generals" of the group and take them out of the equation. However, for John (Reece Dinsdale) the line between acting the role of a hooligan and the reality becomes increasingly blurred. He questions himself as he finds himself turning into one of the "football thugs" he was ordered to get rid of. With a great cast featuring Warren Clarke and Sean Pertwee this is a violent but often amusing story of becoming exactly what you despise and the struggles it brings. With a standout peformance from Reece Dinsdale, ...  Read the complete review