old.cbuzz.co.uk cBuzz Films - ID

ID

Certificate 18

running time 1hr 35 mins

Director Philip Davis

ID is a very violent film about football hooliganism. It explores the possible 'other side' to this phenomena, by hinting that the yobs in the terraces are controlled by higher forces. Set in the late 1980's, this British made (and partly BBC funded) film follows John ( played by Reece Dinsdale of "Home to Roost" fame ), a young East End policeman who is desperately searching for his big break into the higher echelons of the force.

This break comes when he, two other officers and a sergeant are sent undercover to expose the notorious 'Shadwell Dogs', an organised group of hooligans named after the fictitious team which they support. John fits into his character rather too well, much to the annoyance of his superiors, and soon finds himself loving his new life and leaving his old one behind.

Dinsdale treads the very thin line between bad acting and credibility (there are only so many sunken eye stares an audience can take ) as John ends up looking like a deranged Michael Douglas. However, Dinsdale pulls the role off quite effectively. If anything, the transition between nice John and nasty John happens rather too quickly. ID is brilliantly directed and cut and the crowd scenes are excellently controlled and frighteningly realistic.

The film lays heavy criticism on the role the police play at football matches and this may overshadow the real poin of ID, that hooliganism IS wrong. In this capacity ID also falls short of it's glorification of this problem - close companionship amongst hooligans and the over the top male bonding is not sufficiently cancelled out by Johns' social demise and loss of sanity.

The audience when I went was made up of short haired 20 year olds - no surprise as the film is targetted at them. Alarming, however, is the fact that they were laughing and jeering at the scenes that were supposed to be shocking and horrific.

ID is very well made and has a brilliantly constructed and well thought out plot. However, the message it gives off isn't preaching to the converted but merely amusing the partly guilty. This is a film that has been a long time coming but has fallen into the trap of romanticising this bloody, violent trend. (djw)