Awaydays Film Review

Movie Adaptation of Kevin Sampson's Book About Football Hooliganism

Sep 29, 2009

Stanley knives, Adidas trainers and wedge haircuts are the order of the day in Pat Holden's Awaydays. Read a review of the film below.

Set against the Birkenhead docklands in 1979, Awaydays is the story of a group of disaffected young Merseysiders living in a working-class environment at the beginning of Margaret Thatcher’s Prime Ministerial reign over Britain.

Of particular interest is Paul Carty (Nicky Bell), a bright young man suffering from the recent loss of his mother and an adolescent disillusionment in urban life. His wish to be accepted in society manifests itself with a yearning to be a part of a crew of football hooligans he observes while following his local team (the usual non-descript fictional football team that features in films of this nature). They’re a bunch of guys of similar age to Carty, all kitted out in the same Adidas trainers and tracksuit tops and sporting wedge haircuts that make them appear more like a new romantic band than a bunch of hooligans.

Carty and Elvis

Eager to gain a place alongside The Pack - as they’re known - on the terraces, Carty befriends Elvis- one of The Pack’s front men - who lives alone in a house that resembles something like Buffalo Bill’s lair in The Silence of the Lambs, where all kinds of drink and drug debauchery takes place.

Carty also adopts the same clothing in the hope of being noticed and asked to join the crew. But it’s not as easy as that, The Pack are a hostile bunch and Carty has to prove his worth to leader John Godden (Stephen Graham), before he can be classed as one of the boys. Tagging along with Elvis at an away game, Carty puts himself on the frontline and doesn’t disappoint in showing his metal when The Pack take down a rival crew of Mancunians.

After the equally successful rout of some Wolves fans, Carty is the toast of the crew and is determined to take the bull by the horns and enjoy life, indulging in the rock and roll nature of his new lifestyle. But like everyone who makes a pact with the devil, Carty’s life of pleasure can’t last for long and he soon begins to alienate both his family, and new friend Elvis, who grows jealous of Carty’s popularity within The Pack and with the local girls. All too quickly Carty’s life isn’t as sweet as it first seemed.

Initially, Awaydays doesn’t offer anything that hasn’t already been explored previously in football hooligan films, so much so that this movie is almost a direct parallel of Alan Clarke’s cult classic, The Firm. Awaydays has the same characters - most notably Gary Oldman’s unhinged, Bex, being replaced by Stephen Graham’s equally violent gang leader, Godden - and even the central theme of a young man’s escape from a mundane working class existence to gang member appears identical.

The only difference seems to be the accents, and not particularly convincing ones at that.

Awaydays’ first two acts are pretty dreadful. Ok, this is a drama with relatively low production values, but some of the pseudo-Scouse accents on show do little for the film’s authenticity. The two leading men behind Carty and Elvis, albeit competent actors, are less than convincing as hooligans, let alone ones from the Wirral (ironically both actors hail from Manchester).

As for the rest of ‘The Pack’, there’s some serious miscasting there also. The crew would be somewhat more menacing if they didn’t all look 12 years old, something which looks a tad ridiculous when we’re asked to believe that they’ve overran a rival crew of hooligans, twice their age and size. The only performance of any real significance is that of Stephen Graham (one of few genuine Scousers in the cast), who is superb as Godden. With those puffy eyes, stocky frame and an ability to alternate between wind-up merchant and threatening psychopath has an uncomfortable realism.

Unlike Nick Love’s recent remake of The Firm, Awaydays is slightly less obsessed with the fashions of the time, choosing not to let such peripherals dominate the storyline, yet still accepting that style was a type of social branding that was integral to the era and the identity of individual crews.

Despite a predictable set up, which is so cliché it could have invented the very word, credit must go to Awaydays’ semi-redemption in the final third. An interesting development in Carty’s relationships with both his sister and Elvis makes for an unusual climax that isn’t fettered to typical hooligan fare - something that's expected during the film’s dank opening. In fact, as Awaydays progresses it strays further from a one-dimensional drama about violence – not a bad thing – and more towards an implosion of character, hopes and expectations.

There’s a real temptation to turn this movie off after the first 20 minutes, but having stuck with it and given it the benefit of the doubt it becomes clear that Awaydays isn’t quite as bad as it could well have been. With a bigger budget and better cast, this could have been one to remember.

Although director Pat Holden possesses a talent that should go far beyond these types of films, and into more professional works (he has a great sense of pace, which is evident in every scene, and the ability to experiment with visuals to convey emotion), there’s just nothing to make Awaydays stick in the memory in a few years time.

Verdict: 3/5

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