Back in the 90s, I stayed in one Friday night and decided to rent a film from the video shop. When I got there, the choice was easy. Sitting on the shelf was Reservoir Dogs. I had heard the buzz about it, how it had been banned and was supposed to be too violent. The negative press made me want towatch it even more. Plus it was a Tarantino film and he was all the rage after Pulp Fiction’s success.
When I got home, I put it on and started to watch the trailers for other films. I never skipped this part because I love films so much. I always wanted to see what else was available. It’s then that I saw a minute or so previewing a British film. One that I had never heard of. I recognised some of the actors but I had seen nothing about this particular film anywhere. It was about football hooligans and was called I.D.
I had already seen The Firm with Gary Oldman. Not to be confused with the Tom Cruise movie of the same name, Oldman stars as a hooligan putting together an elite firm to represent England to take on Europe. It was corny and dated in parts but was gripping, dark and violent in others. One of the main stars in The Firm was Quadrophenia actor Phil Davis. Now Davis had directed I.D. too.
After enjoying Reservoir Dogs, I made sure that I.D. was rented next. It was my priority. The wonders of advertising eh? I watched it around the spring of 1996 and I loved it. I already liked main actor Reece Dinsdale from his TV work, including Home to Roost with John Thaw. Now he was cast as a police officer who had to go undercover to infiltrate a gang of troublemakers who followed fictious team Shadwell Town. Trying to convince the hooligans that both himself and his fellow police officers were real hardcore Shadwell fans was not going to be easy.
Set in the late 80s, the similarities between Shadwell and Millwall were not lost on me. Shadwell were known as The Dogs and played at The Kennel opposed to Millwall being The Lions whose home was The Den. Of course, Millwall had a real-life reputation for trouble too.
The main hub for the gang was a rough pub called The Rock. Dinsdale’s character John knew that this was where they had to go to get their faces known. Along with his colleague Trevor, John started to drink there at lunchtime. Both were masquerading as painters and decorators. They quickly won the confidence of barmaid Linda, so when it was time to go to The Rock on a Friday night, they had someone who recognised them. It was a brilliant plan. Linda’s friendly greeting meant that the duo had credibility, with the pub full of the Shadwell gang.
John and Trevor started to go to the games with people that they met in the pub including the character Gumbo, played by Lee Ross. Gumbo has learning difficulties and although he is the butt of a lot of jokes, he is looked after by the gang. Ross plays the part so well. He is very convincing and deserved recognition for his role. If you didn’t know the actor, it would have been easy to think that he also had similar issues to Gumbo in real life.
Will John and Trevor be able to convince the Shadwell hooligans that they are legitimate? Or will they be outed as “old bill”? I don’t want to spoil the plot if you’ve not seen the film. I recommend that you watch it. It’s not about glorifying football hooligans, it’s more about someone going undercover and the way it changes the person. There is humour while at the same time there is violence and dark parts that some might find disturbing. It’s a cult film of the 1990s and one that I have seen many times over.
The cast is really strong. Sean Pertwee and Warren Clarke play good supporting roles as part of the Shadwell gang, with a special mention for Charles De'Ath, who plays Nik. Philip Glenister plays a policeman, years before his iconic character Gene Hunt in Life on Mars. I already knew Perry Fenwick from sitcom Watching, he later joined Eastenders as Billy Mitchell. Claire Skinner as John’s wife and Saskia Reeves as Linda are the two main female characters.
Rotherham United’s Millmoor ground was amongst some of the places used for the football action. Filming was done at Bradford City’s Valley Parade too. Millmoor was ideal. I went there a few times in the 90s and the away end was like something from the 70s. It was the perfect location. If you’ve ever been, you’ll remember there is a long alley that takes you behind the stand. I’m sure it was a dead end too. It didn’t feel the most welcoming place.
If you are a fan of I.D. perhaps you’ll want to go back and watch it again. Certainly for a generation of us, it became a quotable film. I have heard so many people say “I f**ing love you Gumbo” totally out of context. I was even on a bus one night when a gang of lads broke out a “Shadwell Army” chant. I have no idea why.
There were many other films that followed I.D. covering football hooliganism but none of those came anywhere close to this one. Only The Firm can stand side by side with I.D. in my opinion.
That’s all for today, I’m off down The Rock for a swift pint.
Have a great day and see you tomorrow!
Cheers
Gary