I.D.

I.D.

Trailer—I.D.

I.D.

No seriously, I am in it. I was one of many extras at Bradford City football ground for the filming of many of the crowd scenes for this film. Despite my particularly good performance I am afraid to say I was overshadowed by the other characters in the film; namely Reece Dinsdale, Warren Clarke et al. A superbly realistic film showing just how mindless and moronic football hooliganism was during the 80's.

I'd heard a lot about how good this film was over the years but watching it now I find it pretty bland and dated. It's the tale of undercover police infiltrating gangs of football hooligans and one of them who gets too close to his subjects and ends up embracing the lifestyle, which is fair enough in itself, but it's the kind of thing I always think works better as non-fiction. This fictionalised account features irritatingly self-centred characters, which is a pity when they're acted by genuinely interesting performers such as Lee Ross (the best role in the film), Sean Pertwee, Warren Clarke and many other familiar faces. There's a lot of rowdiness and drunken behaviour, but with unlikeable cast members and a general grungy feel, it made me depressed more than anything else.

Where do you start with a film like I.D.? The story is simple - an unlikeable copper goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of violent hoodlums, likes it, turns into an even less likable lout and never comes back. Apart from looking as if it was shot on a budget scraped together from the money-back refunds on bottles found in rubbish skips (which adds to the film's overall grimy feel - you'll want to scrub your eyeballs clean after watching this one) and featuring uniformly poor acting throughout, this feels like an extended apology for the disgusting anti-social behaviour that continues to spiral out of control on the streets of Britain every day. At least Alan Clarke's 'The Firm' had a few intelligent points to make about its hateful protagonists, whereas I.D. dares us to find sympathy for the devil. Think about that next time a drunken brawl erupts in the street outside your house at 2am.

An ambitious police officer (Reece Dinsdale) wants his career to move in a forward direction and is married to a fellow police officer (Claire Skinner). He is tasked with leading a team to go undercover to try and smash a dangerous gang of football hooligans, but soon finds himself drawn into the violence, blurring the lines between his job and operation and his love for football, or more specifically gang violence. The film is as you'd expect violent as it should be, but does look a little dated. It is nevertheless an interesting study on the draw, appeal and seduction of gang violence from a time when football hooliganism was still a big problem. The cast includes some familiar faces from 'Eastenders' and a young Sean Pertwee and following on from one of the originals football hooligan films, THE FIRM (1988).

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 used to work in a video store in the olden days, and this movie was a little known gem that I recommended to customers. Everything clicks in this movie. The story and characters are great. Having had friends who were into football hooliganism, in my experience everything in this movie feels very realistic. The cast is good all the way through, especially Reece Dinsdale in the lead who delivers a real powerhouse performance. It's strange, I thought this movie might do to him what Romper Stomper did to Russell Crowe, but I can't remember seeing him in anything but this movie. Don't bother with the sequel which has absolutely nothing to do with this movie.

While brutal in its portrayals this film is an effective comment on the capacity of the average man in the street for violence. The main members of the cast are Undercover Police, so clearly know the difference between right and wrong. However, they get so caught up in the thrill of the fight they find themselves unable to control their actions. One of them is so carried away he prefers his new life. This film is a tricky one to watch, due to the closeness to home of the subject matter. Brutal and unmotivated violence is graphically, and very effectively, depicted, and takes place in everyday locations; the pub, the street, the football terrace. Avoid this if you are sensitive about screen violence. However, while uncomfortable viewing, this film does ultimately reward, with full hearted performances and more than one or two difficult questions left in your mind. 8/10.