I had the immense pleasure of discussing both this film and it's first installment with the wickedly talented writer Vincent O'Connell. We are taken back to the stomping grounds of Shadwell's violent football underworld in another look at how easy it is to lose one's identity when confronted with a need to abandon every belief you've built your life on.
Two decades on from the original film, Simon Rivers puts in a blisteringly visceral performance as Mo, a Muslim police-officer who experiences racial hatred from his police "brothers" as well as the firm he's tasked with infiltrating on orders from his higher ups (played by Neil Pearson in a return to the first film's character of Dave, now a high-ranking member of the police force.)
We head back to "The Rock" pub, now rebranded as Le Chien but still very much the stomping ground for Shadwell FC's hooligan-contingent. It's here that we are introduced to Danny Boy & Nick who serve as Mo's first contact with the group, as well as Vinnie. Vinnie is held in high regard by the firm's many members, but it is apparent from early on that he may have his own hidden motivations.
We are also reintroduced to the I. D. franchise's heart in Lee Ross' character "Gumbo" - a man who manages to be both a very gentle, childlike individual whilst courting the violence he's surrounded by.
When watching I. D.2, I loved that he was the only one who was really sure what Mo was, but didn't care despite being in a repeat of his circumstances from the end of the first film. It's this character that really bridges the gap between the two films. His ending is framed by a very bittersweet decision that contrasts the end of the first film; his singing aloud to the empty seats of Shadwell's football ground alone. At the end of I. D. 1, John's descent into madness and white supremacy, culminating in the "Seig heil" chant, is a very disturbing end to his character arc. The choice to focus on Gumbo's final decision is a compelling one, and it leaves it's mark.
I could talk at length about this film, but I suggest you watch it for yourself.
There have been so many hooligan films now that the genre has become somewhat saturated, but the first acts (for me, at least) as the progenitor of stories like this and the second manages to cling to that identity without becoming lost in that market.
Two decades on from the original film, Simon Rivers puts in a blisteringly visceral performance as Mo, a Muslim police-officer who experiences racial hatred from his police "brothers" as well as the firm he's tasked with infiltrating on orders from his higher ups (played by Neil Pearson in a return to the first film's character of Dave, now a high-ranking member of the police force.)
We head back to "The Rock" pub, now rebranded as Le Chien but still very much the stomping ground for Shadwell FC's hooligan-contingent. It's here that we are introduced to Danny Boy & Nick who serve as Mo's first contact with the group, as well as Vinnie. Vinnie is held in high regard by the firm's many members, but it is apparent from early on that he may have his own hidden motivations.
We are also reintroduced to the I. D. franchise's heart in Lee Ross' character "Gumbo" - a man who manages to be both a very gentle, childlike individual whilst courting the violence he's surrounded by.
When watching I. D.2, I loved that he was the only one who was really sure what Mo was, but didn't care despite being in a repeat of his circumstances from the end of the first film. It's this character that really bridges the gap between the two films. His ending is framed by a very bittersweet decision that contrasts the end of the first film; his singing aloud to the empty seats of Shadwell's football ground alone. At the end of I. D. 1, John's descent into madness and white supremacy, culminating in the "Seig heil" chant, is a very disturbing end to his character arc. The choice to focus on Gumbo's final decision is a compelling one, and it leaves it's mark.
I could talk at length about this film, but I suggest you watch it for yourself.
There have been so many hooligan films now that the genre has become somewhat saturated, but the first acts (for me, at least) as the progenitor of stories like this and the second manages to cling to that identity without becoming lost in that market.