I.D.: Football hooliganism and the loss of identity

Everyone has their own unique identity. It is something that defines each one of us and makes us stand out from everyone around us. It stems from what we like, love and hate, the culture we were raised in, the people we interact with and much more than that. Every breathing moment our identity changes minutely because of what we experience and this ultimately defines the person that we are and the person that we will become.

England in the 1980s has tremendous problems when it comes to hooliganism; particularly football hooliganism which stems from jingoistic support for favourite clubs and results in violence and uncouth behaviour on the streets. In the Shadwell district, police officer John and his team is assigned to infiltrate the firm (gang of football hooligans) of the local football club Shadwell FC to bring down the top dogs of the group and put an end to the violence. In order to do so, John and his three colleagues are required to go undercover and win over the trust of some of the most aggressive men from the district. Somehow they manage to join the firm but in his attempts to bring down the perpetrators, John begins to empathise with the villains. He faces a big challenge when he is close to completing his mission but actually losing himself in the bargain.

I.D. was commissioned by BBC Films to showcase football hooliganism. It is a period film set in the 1980s and was directed by Philip Davis for a release in 1995. While the film shows the darker side of supporting the beautiful game of football, it really is about a person losing his own identity in one that he has made up for himself. It involves no mental condition or disorientation of any sort, it is purely about a police officer getting too close to his case and adopting his undercover persona for himself as he starts to empathise with the criminals. Unfortunately he loses out on his regular personal life as his wife and friends abandon him when they are unable to understand the change in his personality and he refuses to listen to reason as they try to connect with him. Eventually, he indulges his character so far that he crosses the line and has to face the repercussions.

Football hooliganism has been documented in many films in different forms. Some films focus on the passion of the supporters while others highlight the fact that hooliganism stems from the need for them to do something with their lives to make it less monotonous. This film touches upon the fact that hooliganism grows out of a mutual hatred for rivals which either first starts in the game and then lands up on the streets or the other way around where social hatred results in hooliganism and ultimately courses through every part of their lives including football. Unfortunately, most of the films and documentaries that focus on football and football hooliganism do not attain mainstream commercial success in spite of the popularity of the game. Likewise, this film did not receive much praise when indeed it should have.

Instead of focusing solely on the sport and the passion for it, this film focuses on the individuals that love the sport. It is more of a character story and appeals to a wide audience.

The Firm: A limp attempt at exploring football hooliganism

Football is a huge sport which is followed and loved around the world. There is a certain level of passion which goes into the sport which can be seen particularly in Europe, and delving further, it can be seen that England is one of the countries in the forefront when it comes to football. But a residue of the passion that goes into the sport manifests itself in the form of hooliganism which leads to violence. An attempt to depict this life beyond the sport has been made with the 2009 film The Firm which was directed by Nick Love.

In 1980’s England, Dom is a teenager who lives in with his parents and hangs out with his regular group of friends, especially spending time with his best friend Terry. When looking for something more to do with his life, apart from slacking off while working with his father and wasting time smoking and break dancing with 

his friends, he has a run in with Bex, the leader of a group of hooligans who strongly support the local football team. Bex develops a soft spot for Dom because of his wit and willingness to do what he is told and invites him to be a part of the group. Dom slowly gets drawn into the world of hooliganism by taking part in fights, visiting cross country football matches and shoplifting from local apparel stores when he can’t afford expensive clothing which will help him fit in. But soon enough, Dom realises that he isn’t cut out to be a thug and struggles to find his way out of a group of people who don’t take lightly to traitors.

The film doesn’t really do justice to the full world of football hooliganism and the passion that actually leads to fans turning into hooligans to defend their turf and their local football teams. The dialogues in the film are riddled with 80s British slang terms which makes it difficult for universal audiences to follow. The film also has plenty of references to local areas and customs which don’t necessarily appeal to an audience that isn’t of British origin.

In all, the film is less about the passion for the sport and the ideology of the fans and more about the stupid ambition of one of its central characters. Without even exploring the full identity of the character that pulls most of the strings in the film and the reasons for his behaviour, the film is just a limp attempt at documenting what football hooliganism is about but fails miserably. It isn’t a film which would be recommended to be watched.