I.D. [DVD] [1995]

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

Along with The Firm, Football Factory, Arrivederci Millwall, ID is without doubt a remarkable film based on football hooliganism. Green Street, Cass...etc... are good, nothing like the above titles though. ID is as dramatic as it is disturbing, there is a wealth of English acting talent that 25 years on have been involved in this film that now has a cult status and following. I have seen this so many times over the years and unless I drop dead any time soon I will no doubt watch it many times more. This is classic film in the mould of both Scum films... what is it with us Brits and our ability to make such dramatic and violent films that are unrivalled? Top film whether you are into football violence films or not. And I recently watched Ultras, in comparison that was an extremely tedious film and how not to make a film in this genre...ID is so much more than simply a diary of a football hooligan!

Blast from the past watching this. The storyline is a one we've seen before, but it's done well. No Hollywood here, just the dogs! The mental breakdown of John is well acted out. Effing love you Gumbo!!

This is as good as I remember watching it in my 20's ..loved spotting who's who in there ..one of the better football films by far.

The film itself was really good and I highly recommend it! I think £3.49 for an old film is a bit pricey as we have Amazon prime

Watched this years ago when it was brilliant. Loads of the violence has been edited and it does my head in. Why do they do this? They cut a complete scene out and it’s a disgrace.

Classic film, seen it hundreds of times….. but have it forever now! Quite an accurate account of the goings on off & on the football terraces since time immemorial the world over!

This isn't about football. It's about tribalism and the primal forces inside every man (yes, the distinction is deliberate). I first watched this film as a 12/13 year old, when reading Lord of the Flies at school. The film captures the essence better than the book in some ways (at least for me).Added to it, the refreshing simplicity of English film (devoid of Americanisms, sensationalism and saccharine), it's filmatic starkness reflects the brutality of the subject matter: the descent of man from order into chaos, lead by tribal instincts and beastial passions. This is simply a great film. On so many levels.