During my time as a projectionist there was one low-budget, British film that generated a great deal of interest with its trailers & posters prior to its release, and, as a result, lasted a few weeks longer on the screens of the multiplex than expected: I.D. a film about a group of young police officers who go undercover to infiltrate the hooligans of Shadwell Town FC, a fictitious London football team, losing their identity as they do.
Featuring a cast of young British actors, most of whom would go on to become well-known faces on UK television, and ably led by Reece Dinsdale, brilliantly cast here against type in a heavy, serious role, worlds away from the comedy roles he was known for, this film would go on to become a cult classic; spawning a much delayed sequel (released in 2016) and a number of websites doing a brisk trade in selling replica Shadwell kits, despite none ever being seen on screen.
The film starts with Dinsdale's character, a fresh-faced young Detective Constable named John Brandon, interviewing a suspect, a former schoolmate.
The interviewee doesn't respond, but John persists with his questioning & drops hints as to his own personality, and the changes that are to come as he does: "you know me, Honest John, the milk monitor...", "I can be very nice, or I can be very nasty...".
He obviously gets a result, as the interviewee is led away & John punches the air in triumph. As he does so a uniformed sergeant, Trevor (Richard Graham, one of those familiar faces from TV), enters to tell John that they're wanted in the Chief Superintendent's office for a job.
The Chief is showing footage of violent football hooligans to John and Trevor, and two other young officers, Charlie & Eddie (two more of TV's familiar faces: Philip Glenister & Perry Fenwick). The Chief briefs the team, they're to be part of a cross-force team going undercover to rout out "the generals, not the footsoldiers" of London's football hooligan groups. This team are to be sent amongst the hooligans of Shadwell Town FC, nicknamed The Dogs, at their ground, The Kennel.
It's clear that Shadwell is a thinly-veiled substitute for Millwall, a real-life team whose fans have a fearsome reputation, and who were apparently asked to be involved in this film, but declined.
While Shadwell Town is a fabricated football club, the location is real, Shadwell is an area of London, not far from Millwall.
The similarities are numerous: Millwall are nicknamed The Lions, their stadium is referred to as The Den, there's a Shadwell chant in the film that has a line "All you w@nkers, we couldn't give a toss" which has echoes of Millwall's "No one likes us, we don't care..." chant, and so on.
The Chief explains that the hooligans they're interested in have been been arrested multiple times, but usually on minor charges & been out on the streets again within months. He wants evidence to put them away for a long time, on serious charges of conspiring & plotting fights, and has arranged for the team to meet with the previous team of undercover operatives.
On the way to the meeting John tells Trevor that this is the job he's been waiting for, a good result here could see him promoted & fast-tracked to a senior position.
The team meet the previous team, who are bruised & bloodied. One of them, Mark Burdis - known to a generation as Stewpot from 80s BBC kids show Grange Hill - explains that he was recognised by a fellow officer who was on matchday duties at the Kennel, and, their cover blown, they were attacked after the game at The Rock, the pub frequented by Shadwell's hooligans.
The Chief advises them to avoid The Rock.
The team head out in the evening to scout out the local pubs, get their faces seen by the regulars, and to see what they can find out. John & Trevor take the pubs on one side of the road, Charlie & Eddie the other. We follow the former as they discuss how they don't even like drinking, but have to show willing. The group bond as they stagger out of each pub, meeting each other briefly on the street, but get nowhere until John & Trevor find a noisy, raucous pub. Surely they could have saved themselves a lot of bother by strolling the streets first, and finding the noisiest pub?
Once inside Trevor glares at a noisy crowd of Shadwell fans who move to confront the pair. it's here that Trevor displays his woeful lack of prior knowledge about the club he's meant to be a fan of.
Attempting to defuse the situation after being asked "What you lookin' at?" Trevor pleads that "we're Shadwell, like you", to which he's asked which club they're playing the following day. John intervenes, and answers "Pentland, away", another fictitious team.
The group get upset at John answering, so ask another "What's our next home game?"
John again: "Grimsby, next Wednesday", this is one of I.D.'s confusing moments, as Grimsby Town are a real club. There are frequent mentions of genuine English fooball teams, interspersed with made-up names, some of which, like the aforementioned Pentland, don't even appear to be actual geographical locations.
John intervenes again when Trevor is asked which player was sold to Wimbledon (again, genuine club). "Carrera" comes John's answer. Feeling more confident, Trevor chips in with "and good riddance to him", not realising that Carrera was the club's best player who warranted his big money transfer.
The group are appalled, but one, a large black guy, proving that Shadwell hooligans are somewhat more diverse than other hooligan groups of the era, puts his arm around Trevor and offers some support "You may have a point, but you got to admit, he was pretty skillful. I mean... for a white guy".
It's a trap.
Even the other Shadwell fans are confused by this, but Trevor fails to notice their blank faces as he agrees. John mutters an insult at Trevor, as the crowd turn on the two.
Cut to a packed train carriage the next day, John & Trevor are walking through the crowds to find a seat, and spot their assailants from the previous evening. Trevor goes to leave, but John thinks better, knowing that it would be preferable to associate with this crew.
John introduces himself & explains that Trevor is a new fan, who's only just started going to matches. The lads have a new found respect for them, brazenly approaching them after the kicking they received last night, and invite them into their card game. Trevor duly cleans up & collects his winnings from the irate group as the train pulls into the station. You'd be right in thinking that perhaps Trevor isn't an ideal person to use as an undercover operative.
From the train the fans file onto coaches, but are attacked by Pentland fans as they near their ground. Windows are smashed and bricks thrown as the two police officers protect themselves. We get our first inkling that John appears to be enjoying himself, while Trevor is clearly unimpressed with the behaviour of the supporters around him.
Prior to I.D.'s release cinemas received bundles of promotional material that included interviews with the cast & crew, and the director Phil Davis (another familiar face from UK TV), who explained that he didn't want to put any football on the screen, as doing so might detract from the film's primary plot, that of the undercover operation. And so, we don't see anything of the game at all here, or at any other time (other than when the four officers have a a brief kickabout); even match results are rarely mentioned throughout the film.
And so, instead of seeing Shadwell take on Pentland, the film cuts from the attack on the coach, to an Italian restaurant, where John is enjoying a meal with his partner, and fellow police officer, Marie (Claire Skinner, another familiar face from UK TV, known to many these days as the mum from Outnumbered).
It's still early days but John is already changing: he becomes defensive when Marie tells him they had a group of (yet another fictional club from a genuine location) Wapping fans in the cells at her station, arrested for smashing up a nightclub: "Wapping? Not my lot. We're Shadwell!" he protests.
Then, he orders an extra half-bottle of wine, much to Marie's consternation. Remember that it was only a few scenes back when John mentioned to Trevor that he doesn't drink.
Later, the four officers are back at the station, looking in a mirror at themselves, realising they look too much like coppers and not enough like the hooligans they're meant to be infiltrating.
We next see the four walking the streets of Shadwell on their way to a home game, presumably it's the following Wednesday and they're off to see The Dogs take on Grimsby. As they walk they test each other on the club's history & John relates how his grandmother lived on the very street they're walking down, and on match days he could hear the roar of the crowd.
Inside the ground the four of them are shocked by the ferocity of the crowd, which, in reality, isn't actually that bad. John is the only one to join in with the chanting and shouting abuse at the opposition fans.
I remember this scene well, many a time I'd check on the film's focus at around this point, if you look closely at the other spectators in the crowd you can spot many of them wearing (real club) Sheffield Wednesday's black & gold away strip from the 94-95 season, to match Shadwell's gold & black colours. As the crowd chant you can also see & hear that some of them are singing in South Yorkshire accents too, they're singing "You're gonna get your fookin' 'eads kicked in", not "fackin' 'eads"
After the match the four are filing reports at the station, swigging Scotch from bottles as they do, as if in some kind of tribute to 1970s TV show The Sweeney. The team realise they've got nothing to show for their work, just some reports of mildly abusive language & occasional threats. John hatches a plan: he & Trevor are to use their cover as painter & decorators to visit The Rock at lunchtime, on the pretence that they're working in the neighbourhood.
After a few weeks of lunchtime drinks the two of them have become recognisable faces in the pub, and John has caught the eye of the barmaid Lynda, so decide to make an appearance on a Friday night, prior to that Saturday's game.
As they walk in they're eyeballed by the regulars, The Rock being a very different venue in the evenings from lunchtimes. It's an intimidating place, crowded, violent, and, for some reason, has its own fire-breathing act.
Lynda asks John if the two of them are Shadwell fans, to which he responds with a non-committal nod & wink.
It's game day again, and John & Trevor are on the terraces with the regulars from The Rock, exchanging banter & insults about one of the club's players: Jerry Edwards. When Shadwell are awarded a free-kick and Edwards steps up to take it, there's incredulity and more abuse from the group... until Edwards scores and they start up a chant of "One Jerry Edwards...".
After the game the two are in a pub, talking with The Rock's regulars, including the malevolent Martin (Sean Pertwee) and his best friend Nik (Charles De'ath), comedy punk Puff (Terry Cole, the fire-breather from The Rock), Vinny (Steve Sweeney, from every East End-set film & TV show ever), Micky (Nicholas Bailey, from Eastenders, proving once again that Shadwell's hooligans are a diverse bunch), and the physically & mentally disabled pickle factory worker Gumbo (a barely recognisable Lee Ross). It's Gumbo who indirectly supplies the film's unofficial catchphrase: "I fackin' love you Gumbo", said multiple times by different characters throughout the film.
As the group bond with the newcomers a fight breaks out between the Shadwell fans and a group of (real club) Arsenal fans who are also drinking in the same pub.
While Gumbo takes cover Trevor slams an Arsenal fan onto a table and whispers "You're nicked!"
John hears and rebukes him for breaking their cover, but did Gumbo hear it as well...?
It's late when John arrives home, there's nothing to eat & he's furious with Marie. After she admonishes him he then apologises, and promises once that this job is done he'll be near guaranteed a promotion.
It's a new day, and John & Trevor walk into The Rock for their lunch, to come face-to-face with the pub's fearsome landlord, and renowned "cop sniffer" Bob (Warren Clarke - famed for his role as Dim, one of the droogs from A Clockwork Orange, and yet another regular from the UK's TV screens).
Bob's been in prison and, although he's upset to see two new regulars, he seems satisfied they are who they say they are after Lynda introduces them. Once Bob leaves Lynda tells John that he is her uncle and that one day she'll inherit the pub.
Later that day the team & their partners are having a meal in a restaurant. While the wives/partners discuss mortgages, children and other topics, the four, who are all clearly bored, make their excuses and go to the toilet together. Whilst standing in a line at the urinal they start humming Shadwell chants, before pissing on Trevor's legs. It might be worth remembering at this point that, as the Sergeant, Trevor is the senior officer in this team.
Trevor soon gets his revenge on John though, when they're next in The Rock he mentions to Martin & the rest of the group that John has a son. John glares furiously at Trevor, but wins plaudits from the others when he tells them he named his son after every member of Shadwell's promotion-winning team.
Just then a coach passes the pub, filled with fans of that day's rivals, Midchester (a fictional suburb of Birmingham). Seeing an opportunity to gain more credit with the hooligans John races out of the pub & gives chase.
When the coach is held up in traffic John attacks single-handedly, until the others catch up & start smashing windows & brawling with the Midchester fans.
After the fight Bob congratulates John for the attack, revealing that he's won the respect of the pub landlord.
Back at the station the four are in a celebratory mood, when a uniformed Sergeant (the film's director, Phil Davis) enters & rebukes them. Charlie & Eddie apologise, but John stands his ground and glares at the sergeant, clearly in no mood to take orders from a uniformed officer.
Once the sergeant leaves all four agree that they need a space of their own.
It's an away day again, and the group are travelling in a convoy of cars to Westleigh (another fictional club, but presumably named after the suburb of Manchester). When they stop at some motorway services Trevor slips away to place a call from a public phone: "Sergeant Trevor Clymer, Shadwell branch...".
When the group arrive at a pre-organised fight with the Westleigh fans they find the police are already there & have made multiple arrests.
Back at The Rock the recriminations begin, and there are promises of violence being inflicted upon whoever is responsible for informing the police. John throws Trevor a look, which Martin notices.
At a time where tensions are high, and the potential for their cover being blown even higher, you'd think this would be a time for our undercover officers to play it cool, behave themselves, & monitor the situation, lest it get worse. Instead, Trevor gets hopelessly drunk, embarrasses himself by showing off his newly learned Shadwell knowledge ("'Ere, who was our top scorer last season?"), and eventually gets thrown out when he tries to kiss Lynda.
John bundles him into a car & drives to the station, seething with rage at Trevor's stupidity. They arrive to find Charlie & Eddie in the car park, swigging scotch from bottles again (do this team not have glasses, or even a tea mug they could use?). Humiliated, Trevor reminds the group that he's the Sergeant, and tells John he's off the squad, John counters by punching him, then runs into the station.
Charlie follows him and suggests John apologise. The two make up, Trevor agrees not to pull rank again, composes himself and announces "if you hadn't run off, I would've kicked your head in...", causing the entire group to fall about with laughter.
We cut to John's house. His relationship with Marie is not so much frosty, but totally frozen. They're silent as they ready themselves for work, before Marie leaves without saying a word.
It's not just at home that John is having a bad day: at The Rock Martin & the others confront him & Trevor, and accuse them of either being police, or informers.
As Bob reaches for his baseball bat, and Micky locks the door, Martin offers some pretty damning evidence, to which John has quick replies:
Gumbo heard Trevor "arresting" the Arsenal fan; but Trev was just winding him up, having a laugh.
Trevor has been spotted making calls at motorway services right before the police break up their fights; but he was calling his mum, he always calls his mum.
Martin has visited the house the pair are meant to be working in, but they're never there; but they finished that house, they're working in a different house now.
John turns the tables & threatens Martin instead, how dare he accuse them of being "filth", and finds an unlikely ally in Bob who admits that they can't be police, as they'd have "shat themselves" if they were (to be fair, Trevor probably has shat himself at this point).
John storms outside for a sulk, before the others follow and offer apologies. There's now a bizarre, and possibly intentional, near homo-erotic moment, where Martin moves close to John's face and asks "Can I buy you a pint?"
Back in the pub the group are crowded around the new pub quiz machine, taking turns to answer questions, while John nurses a pint nearby. Soon, it's John's turn to answer. He steps up nervously, and is confused as he looks at the screen. Confusion turns to anger as he starts hitting the machine, then turns on Trevor demanding to know why he told them. "I didn't tell them anything!" pleads a confused Trevor.
"It's not my fault" yells John "loads of people can't read!"
The crowd falls silent, and Martin asks John to confirm what he's just said: "You can't read? How do you get by?"
John motions to Trevor, "He reads for me, I slap people for him. But no more!" and storms out of the pub. Again.
Outside John listens in, with a smile growing on his face, as Nik points out that they just accused a guy who can't read of being a copper.
The Chief takes the team to a new office space for them to work in, a former warehouse, and supplies them with false police records. John reads his, and admits that with the "charges" he's had laid upon him in the past, he's not a man to be messed with.
Here is where we see the only actual football being played, as the lads kick a ball about in the warehouse, set to music, in one of the film's few uplifting scenes. It's worth mentioning here that the film's soundtrack was created by Will Gregory, who would go on to find success as one half of the band Goldfrapp.
It's Christmas Eve and John & Marie are preparing for the police Christmas party. Again, the atmosphere is tense as Marie takes John to task for his constant swearing, and accuses him of being impotent. They have brief, aggressive sex that borders on sexual assault, before John walks off to the kitchen to get a beer. Marie is upset and asks why John is always angry, "What's wrong with being happy?".
Later that evening, at the party, the men are gathered at the bar talking football. This is one of the few moments that offer some clue as to the period the film is set. I'd originally thought that the film was contemporary, set in the mid-90s, but conversely a time when football had shed much of its violent past on its way to becoming the family-friendly, big money entertainment that it has become now. The lads discuss the prospect of Shadwell winning promotion to Division One, and getting to face Arsenal, Liverpool & Manchester United. Those that are familiar with English football will know that the old Division One was re-branded as the Premier League in 1992, meaning that this film is set some time before then, possibly in the 80s, when hooliganism was rife, although it's never made clear if this is the case.
John is in the worst state of the group, he's drunk, verbally abusive to the bar staff, and angry that Marie is dancing with a senior officer. He suggests to Trevor that they go to The Rock instead, clearly he's now more comfortable amongst the regulars there than with fellow officers at a police function.
After the pub is closed for the night Lynda asks John to walk her home, they kiss, but John turns her down & leaves for home.
Despite John's reluctance to cheat it's a miserable day for both him & Marie; they eat their Christmas lunch in silence, and, later that night, we see Marie in bed alone, crying.
Post-Christmas and the team are back at work in their office space. As they listen to the cup draw on the radio they discuss who could be the likely ringleader of the Shadwell crew, the "general" that they've been assigned to uncover. However, they admit their reluctance at being able to turn in any of them, citing them as their friends. Charlie also admits he's having the time of his life running with the hooligans. Trevor is appalled at this, but before he has time to rebuke them the radio announces that Shadwell have been drawn away at local rivals Wapping...
The Shadwell fans are on the march through the streets of Wapping, there's a heavy police presence but some, including John, Martin & the others, break through their lines to chase down a small group of "Wappers" that have been goading them.
Trevor is split from the rest of the group and so jumps onto a bus instead, where he immediately trips over bags of shopping & is attacked by an elderly woman with an umbrella.
The rest of the group continue to give chase to the Wapping fans, but are led into a trap and outnumbered. They take shelter in a nearby chemists shop & arm themselves with aerosols, except for poor Gumbo who grabs a can of ant-killer. After some time they realise they've managed evaded a kicking so leave, and, in an unlikely turn of events, each apologise politely to the confused pharmacist.
They arrive at Wapping's ground, where Bob and some of the others meet them, Trevor also shows up sporting a bloodied eye which he claims he got from taking on a bus load of Wapping fans. Bob announces that he and a few of the others are going to go amongst the home supporters, to which John and a very reluctant Trevor agree to go as well. Martin and the rest of the regulars refuse to do it, as the last time some did they were seriously injured.
As the group enter the Wapping end of the ground even John looks nervous, knowing that they may have bitten off more than they can chew.
One of Bob's lieutenants (Jay's Dad from the TV show The Inbetweeners!), seeing John's nervousness, tells him to stay close and shows him that he's carrying a crowbar. Trevor sees too and realises that this has gone too far, so leaves, hurriedly. As he does so the group start up their chant: "We are Shadwell... The Kennel is our home...", and the Wapping fans turn on them.
The Shadwell contingent get a few hits in, but are coming off far worse when the police step in and haul them down the steps to the pitchside. John is dragged over the advertising hoardings (some of which show barely concealed adverts for Yorkshire-based businesses, betraying the film shoot's location again) and onto the pitch. From there John escapes from his police escort & runs the length of the pitch back to the Shadwell fans, where, bloodied & battered, he is welcomed back like a hero.
The violence is far from over though, as, once the match gets underway, uniformed police make sorties into the Shadwell support, dragging out random fans & beating them. When the fans react to this the heavily armed riot squad intervene to administer further beatings.
Back at the squad's HQ John confronts Trevor angrily: "Where were you?!", Trevor admits that he "lost his bottle".
Charlie & Eddie show John footage of a ringleader, instrumental in attacking Wapping fans & their fellow police officers. "Any idea who this runt is?" says Charlie, "No idea" replies John sarcastically as they watch the footage of him fighting & goading the Wapping fans.
The team are back at the station, in a meeting with the Chief, discussing their complaints of police brutality. The Chief tells them that their complaints have been investigated, but no action will be taken. Having witnessed the behaviour of the police at Wapping the team are incredulous.
Trevor then mentions that John had deftly got the hooligans onside by telling them he can't read or write. The Chief is confused, and asks how John has managed to become a police officer without being able to read. Again, the team are incredulous, as John spells out that it's part of his cover.
The Chief then informs the group that, while other forces are winding up their operations, the Shadwell team are to continue.
In a break from the film's inner-city locations we now find John & Marie on a beach in Spain. They're on holiday, but John is increasingly finding it difficult to switch off his undercover persona. He complains of being bored & pulls down his trunks to show Marie his bum, which is now tattooed with Shadwell Town's badge. He furiously points out that it's been there for six weeks and she hasn't noticed, before he storms off for beers.
This is a weird scene, which I can only assume was put in so some of the cast & crew could have a day or two on the beach, or maybe to receive some additional funding from the EU; the scene would've worked just as well in John & Marie's house, or even, perhaps to more dramatic effect, in the Italian restaurant from earlier.
Back in Shadwell, and John arrives at The Rock after hours to have sex with Lynda. Placing these two scenes together drives the point that Marie's John, the copper, is no more, and Lynda's John, the hooligan, has fully taken over.
It's another away game, and the Shadwell contingent are in a convoy of cars driving to the North-East to face Tyneburn, another fictitious club, but seemingly, given their red & black colours, a mix of real clubs Sunderland & Newcastle.
Inside the ground the group encounter a barrage of abuse and missiles from the locals, resulting in Gumbo copping a dart to the face.
The group are livid; Martin & Micky attempt to clamber the fences separating the two groups of fans, but are beaten back, while John & Trevor approach a local police sergeant who is looking on impassively. John tells him to do something to stop the violence, but is threatened with being arrested himself. Trevor has to stop John from retaliating, saying he'd lose his job, "Do you think I fackin' care?!" John retorts.
With emotions running high, the group break through police lines after the match to chase down a group of Tyneburn fans. They chase them to an empty marketplace, and straight into a trap, where they become hopelessly outnumbered by Tyneburn fans, led by two more familiar faces: Paul Brennen & Thomas Craig.
Most of the Shadwell firm turn & run, abandoning Martin & John, who, armed with just a bike chain & a screwdriver, ready themselves to face this huge group. The pair shout "Shadwell!" and run towards the northerners.
The screen goes black, and we hear police sirens...
We then see the Tyneburn fans running from the police, and Martin & John making their escape. John is covered in blood, but it's not his.
In bed with Lynda later, John relays the tale of the fight: he can't remember a thing, he blacked out, but wasn't scratched, "But some poor sod was" Lynda replies, thoughtfully.
John mentions that he didn't want to go that way, he still has a life to lead, he still wants kids. Lynda then points out that he's said he already has a son. Has John blown his cover?
Back at base the other three coppers refuse to talk to John, or even look him in the eye. It's Charlie who tells him he's gone too far. John still can't remember anything from the market, but Charlie tells him that CCTV captured it all, and Trevor drove back to Tyneburn to destroy the video & all other evidence that would incriminate John.
Trevor is in tears, but he & John hug, perhaps suggesting that there's hope for John after all?
Walking back into The Rock Martin & John are summoned to talk to local gangster Wynton, holding court at the corner of the bar. As they approach Martin is prevented from going further, only John is permitted to sit down.
Wynton has a job offer for John, he likes what he's seen and heard of him, and thinks he should leave the football hooliganism aside and use his penchant for violence elsewhere; he has friends who would be very interested in meeting him.
Wynton then explains that football is over, it's becoming sanitised, the hooligans will soon quit the lifestyle, settle down, take their families to the match; namely, pretty much exactly what did happen in the 90s.
Later, John returns to the office to find a bunch of uniformed coppers clearing out the team's files & computers. The others explain that the undercover team that had been sent to infiltrate Wapping's hooligans had been discovered to be making stuff up, and a high profile case fell over in court as a result, so the entire operation is to be shut down.
John is furious, after months he's finally got somewhere: the violence at games is just a sideshow, there's no conspiracy or organisation behind it, but it's led him to the proper gangsters who, while the police are sending all their resources to deal with the matchday violence, are exploiting the situation to ship drugs and guns around the country. However, it's all to no avail.
We find the four of them back in the Chief's office. They're informed that there will be no arrests, but each of them are to be commended on their work, and to return to uniformed duty in their community. Trevor is appalled, he and John are based in Shadwell, if they're seen back on the streets in uniform they're likely to be killed. The Chief is not interested in their excuses though.
I think this is the first time where it's mentioned that John & Trevor are based in Shadwell itself, and it does seem unlikely that two coppers from the local station would be sent undercover among the violent offenders of a football team. Even more unlikely that they would be returned to the very same locale, in uniform, once the undercover operation is over.
The Chief then tells the four that they are no longer permitted to visit The Rock, or to attend any more Shadwell matches, much to the group's disgust. It's Eddie who mentions that he already has tickets for the next match, and, if Shadwell were to win, they'd be promoted.
With the meeting over, the four, all disgruntled - but none more so than John - march out of the office. On the way Charlie meets an acquaintance from the Licensing Department who thanks him for their work. "Why would the Licensing Dept be interested in our operation?" asks Charlie, "We've been after The Rock for years. Illegal lock-ins, gambling, fighting: you've given us more than enough evidence to shut it down."
Over drinks the four lament their lot: "No more Rock... No more Bob... No more Martin & Nik... No more Gumbo! I fackin' love you Gumbo! No more Kennel... No more Shadwell...".
John ponders that he was a "Top Boy", to which Trevor points out that he never was, he was always an undercover cop.
John goes to Lynda's apartment, where she attacks him, telling him she knew it was him that closed The Rock; she was due to inherit the pub too, as you may recall. Lynda tells him that it's not Bob that can sniff out coppers, but her, and she knew about him & Trevor from the moment they first walked into the pub. She tells him she only slept with him for the thrill & the danger, and tells him to leave.
Without Lynda, John decides to win back Marie, in perhaps a last-ditch attempt to return to his previous life. But, he shows up at her parents' house drunk, and, when they refuse to allow him to see Marie, he starts verbally abusing both them and Marie, who is hiding inside.
Marie's father sets his dogs on him (poetic justice there, setting the dogs on a Dog), and as he leaves he turns and, apologetically and tearfully, says to Marie, as she listens in, "I still love you though...".
It's John's first day back in uniform, and he's at the station, drinking again. He catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror, the same mirror that he & the others stood in front of earlier in the film where they recognised they looked too much like coppers. He doesn't like what he sees, a man in police uniform, and he attacks the mirror before being restrained by his colleagues.
We now see the extent of John's breakdown: alone and in tears, he starts smashing things around his house, starting with his police memorabilia and photos of him in uniform or with Marie. With his home trashed he then takes to burning Marie's belongings.
We see him opening a drug wrap & pouring its contents onto a bowl of cornflakes before eating them, as he listens to radio coverage of Shadwell's match. As the team win the game it's confirmed that Shadwell have also won promotion to the First Division, but John listens on impassively, his face blank.
In a clip of radio commentary that's all too easy to miss, we then hear "...everyone at the club of course stunned by that horrific fatal stabbing at Tyneburn.".
So, now we know what John did at the market.
It's some time later, and we're at the station with a now moustachioed Trevor, who's being asked by a detective to talk to a suspect in a petty robbery. It's a job that the detective thinks is beneath him, so has been told to pass it onto uniform. As he enters the interview room Trevor asks what the crime is: "He stole a jar of pickles from the factory he works in".
It's Gumbo.
Gumbo is confused to see Trevor in uniform: "Why you dressed like a copper Trev?"
"I am a copper" says Trevor. Gumbo is more confused "You wait until John hears about this, he'll go fackin' spare!".
The mention of his friend's name sends Trevor running out of the interview room, although I can't tell if he's meant to be in tears or laughing.
We're still with Trevor but he's not in uniform, he's off-duty and watching a group of skinheads march through the streets. Suddenly he sees something. With a flash of his badge to a nearby uniformed copper, he's through the barricades and approaches the marchers, amongst their number is John, head shorn & tattooed.
Trevor attempts to pull him to one side, asking what the hell he's doing with these neo-nazis. John angrily whispers "I'm on the job, now get lost before you get me killed".
Trevor takes a step back, but is unconvinced, as are we, the audience. One of the marchers throws a petrol bomb at a shop, causing the group to start chanting "Seig Heil". The camera lingers on John, and the credits roll, as he throws himself whole-heartedly into the nazi chant.
As the film finishes, we're left to wonder: is he undercover, or has he totally lost all vestiges of his identity?
Re-watching the film again, another possibility came to mind: when the team are introduced to their predecessors, we only see two of them. Is there a chance that the other members of the team are still undercover, perhaps having lost their identities too? This got me wondering if perhaps Martin & Nik, of whom we're told so little, but who are at the forefront of much of the violent incidents, might be part of that team too.
There's also an interesting side-story regarding police brutality, never completely explored, and the police turning a blind eye to violence when it's committed by their local hooligans; witness the attacks on the Shadwell fans at Wapping, and the negligent Sergeant at the Tyneburn game.
I no longer live in the UK, but I do recall seeing huge police operations take place whenever certain teams played away. I remember seeing Millwall fans (the supposed inspiration behind the Shadwell firm) being escorted by police on horseback from the railway station to the football ground when I lived in Coventry, with helicopters buzzing overhead and police operatives filming them all the way. There was no deviance from the allotted path allowed by anyone.
Going out for a beer that day I was even asked by a doorman to prove that I wasn't a Millwall fan, so had to show ID (topical!) that displayed my Coventry address before I was allowed into my local pub.
Whenever other teams visited Coventry the fans would usually be free to roam around the city, visiting bars & pubs, even shopping if they so wanted to, with no interference from the police.
One has to ask: would Millwall fans continue to have such a reputation if they weren't treated in such a way whenever they travelled the country to support their team?
I.D. is a hard-hitting film, and is often seen as the precursor of other, more sensationalist, hooligan-inspired films that followed, but it's more than that. I reckon it should rank alongside films like Donnie Brasco, not a film about hooliganism, but one in which the lines between undercover operations and criminality are blurred.
Having watched the trailer for the sequel I have to say it does look intriguing too: it appears to have much the same plot, but adds religious intolerance, racism (which, the final scene apart, is not touched upon in the original), the commercialisation of football, and the big money investments/buy-outs that have seen previously down-at-heel clubs able to compete with the traditional giants of the game.
Trevor and Eddie also make appearances, Trevor still in uniform, Eddie as a mentor to the young copper going undercover, and there's also a clip of an older Gumbo, a relic of Shadwell's past, entering the stadium, hands aloft and shouting "Shadwell Army!".
"I fackin' love you Gumbo"
Fin
