Undercover

To be frank, everyone who I have shown this film to has loved it - it doesn't matter if you aren't into football, this is just a quality film as far as i am concerned. See how many faces you can spot in this. Maybe not big time names now but then that isn't the point - the atmosphere the film generates is superb. This isn't a Hollywood film but nor is it your typical Brit flick - no quirks here (apart from the character of Gumbo) but it does give a great account of what being at a football match is like but in a way that slightly romances football violence. In fact the violence takes a back seat to character progression and formation as the film progresses. I strongly believe the value of a ilm like this is so high because of the number of times I can watch it - surely the mark of a great film? There are only a few films that everyone has that they don't mind watching when they are considering watching one of their DVD's, and this is one that I have certainly got my money's worth from! I only wish I had watched this when it came out as I would have been even more impressed but I was put off by the cover and that the story concerned football.

This is the best football film I have ever seen, yet strangely enough not a single football match is shown. Instead, it deals with the violence off the pitch.

The story is about four police officers who go undercover to find out who is the ringleader of a group of violent thugs at a fictitious East London football team, Shadwell FC (possibly but not necessarily based on Millwall FC, a real East London team with its own share of crowd trouble). This violent drama shows how easy it is to get drawn into the whole scene, to the extent that the policemen find their mission and dedication to justice is slowly being taken over by their newly found love of Shadwell.

It is a superb character study, well acted by Reece Dinsdale and Sean Pertwee, among others, although it is Warren Clarke who really steals the show with a superb performance as the ringleader.

Non-football fans will enjoy this film as well, possibly because of the lack of any football action. It is, for example, one of my wife's favorite films, although her interest in football per se is fairly insubstantial. However, if extreme violence or 'foul' language offends you, avoid this film.

As an Eastender, I have to say this film is one of the most accurate portrayals of football violence in the area. It is also a far better 'film about football' than other recent attempts such as WHEN SATURDAY COMES or FEVER PITCH. Although it has been out on video now for over three years at the time of writing this, it is still today one of the hardest videos to get out of the video-club in the East End, as it is almost always on loan.

Enjoy! I know you will.

Not bad hooligan film in 1980's Britain. Interesting story and a brilliant performance from the main character John, it was over the top but spot on. He looked like a right nutter lol.

i.d. is directed by Philip Davis and written by Vincent O'Connell. It stars Reece Dinsdale, Warren Clarke, Claire Skinner, Richard Graham, Perry Fewick, Philip Glenister, Saskia Reeves and Sean Pertwee. Music is by Will Gregory and cinematography by Thomas Mauch.

Four policemen go undercover and infiltrate a gang of football hooligans who follow Shadwell Town. There mission is to root out their leaders, the ones pulling all the strings. But for one of them, John (Dinsdale), the longer the operation goes on, the more he finds he loves this world of hard drinking and fighting.

It became something of a cult hit back in the 90s, at a time when football hooligan films were still rare. Nowadays they are two a penny, with a ream of wide boy directors mining the source for easy cash while turning the topic into pop culture matter of fact. i.d. (it is spelt that way on the film) is a different animal to the MTV styled other hoolie movies in a lot of ways, it is set in the 80s but it feels archaic, in fact it feels much earlier with its clothing choices, fans decked out in scarves, admission fees into grounds only £3.50/£4.00 and the way supporters are caged on the terraces. Even the terrace songs hark back to the 70s. This old time feel, coupled with the low production value, is a world away from the likes of The Football Factory and Green Street, where dress codes were as important as toughness! i.d. does have realism, but it's a realism long before football hooliganism became a source of books, films and trendy badge of honours.

Davis' film is more concerned with showing how the thrill of it all can drag down the most upstanding citizen. In this case Dinsdale's (terrific and a splendid shift from sit-com niceties) young ambitious copper. His descent into being a full blown hooligan is very real, the addiction of the fight, the camaraderie of the gang, the wine women and song that replaces the humdrum of everyday working life. It doesn't offer up any answers, in fact things are deliberately left ambiguous in the end, but the message is sharply etched into the story and the pic is high on social value. It should have been bolder by making more on racism of the time and expanding upon police overkill at football matches, but it never glorifies the topic to hand and backed by a very watchable cast, rounds out as football hooligan film of some substance and standing in the genre pantheon. 8/10

I.D. tells the story of four policemen on an undercover assignment in East London. They are supposed to infiltrate the notorious hooligan firm of (non-existing) Shadwell Town Football Club. At first they are not particularly interested in football or Shadwell but they gradually learn to appreciate the particular atmosphere that is only known to football fans. John is the most fanatic of the lot. He is slowly turning into a proper hooligan. And it seems that choosing between the job and Shadwell becomes more and more difficult.

I.D. is one of my favourite films and it is definitely my favourite football-related film. It shows us what is going on in and around an unfashionable London football ground on Saturday afternoons. The character development that the main characters experience is wonderfully portrayed by the cast.

I saw this film on Dutch television for the first time. I had a very hard time finding this film on video in Holland. In fact, I never succeeded but I was delighted when I noticed that every High Street video retailer in England had a copy in stock. A must-see