No. Shadwell is a real place in inner city London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the east of the city, but it has no football team. Similarly, The Kennel (Shadwell's home ground) is fictitious; most of the interior shots of The Kennel were shot at Rotherham United's ground, Millmoor. The few exterior scenes were shot at Leyton Orient's ground, Brisbane Road.
Shadwell F.C. seems to be loosely based on Millwall, a southeast London team, and/or West Ham United, an east London team. Both teams had notorious crews during the 80s and early 90s; respectively, the F-Troop (later known as the Millwall Bushwackers), and the Inter City Firm (ICF).
The main plot of the film may be loosely based on Operation Full-Time, an undercover London Metropolitan Police operation whose express purpose was to identify and convict the leaders of the ICF, although, obviously, the film departs greatly from the reality in the particulars of its narrative.
Operation Full-Time was one of a serious of police operations during the mid-late 80s, which attempted to bring an end to organised football hooliganism. In the wake of the Heysel Stadium Disaster in 1985, and the negative impact it had on British football and British culture in general, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher gave the police unprecedented freedom in an attempt to infiltrate and bring down the biggest firms in the country, resulting in a huge number of operations targeting football hooliganism, and a massive increase in arrests related to football hooliganism.
In March 1986, the initial operation (Operation Own Goal), targeted the Chelsea Headhunters. Ever since Heysel, there had been rumours that members of the Headhunters were present in the stadium, and had been involved in the violence, with some reports claiming that it was actually the Headhunters who initiated the affray. The Headhunters also had a reputation for extreme racism, and had connections with both the National Front and Combat 18. As such, the police thought they represented a good place to begin the campaign, as arresting members of a racist firm would look good in the eyes of the media.
The express aim of Own Goal was to identify and convict the Godfathers who organised but did not partake in the violence; the police weren't especially interested in the footsoldiers, they wanted the leaders. Seven arrests took place, with each one resulting in a conviction. However, in 1989, all seven men were released after the Court of Appeal ruled that some of the police evidence had been tampered with by persons unknown prior to the initial trial.
In January 1987, Operation Red Card targeted the Birmingham Zulus, resulting in 67 arrests, with 49 being charged and nineteen jailed for up to thirty months each.
Operation Full-Time followed a few days after Red Card. Full-Time was unique insofar as unlike Own Goal and Red Card, it involved officers working undercover, posing as hooligans over a five month period. Targeting the ICF, Full-Time resulted in twenty-six arrests, with nineteen being charged. However, all nineteen were released when the prosecution failed to provide evidence in court.
Other operations around the same time included Operation Wild Boar (April, 1987), which targeted the Leeds Service Crew; Operation Back Yard (April, 1987), which again targeted the ICF; Operation White Horse (April, 1987), which targeted Crystal Palace's Dirty 30; Operation Spoonbill (March, 1988), which targeted the Luton Town MIGS; Operation Growth (March 1988), which targeted Wolverhampton Wanderers' Subway Army; Operation Dirty Den (April, 1988) which targeted the F-Troop; Operation Omega (April, 1988), which targeted Manchester City's Guv'nors; and Operation Gamma (December, 1989), which targeted Bolton Town's Cuckoo Boys.
The 2015 book - running with the firm is the story that the book was based upon. The book refers to Milwall and confirms comments above
Shadwell F.C. seems to be loosely based on Millwall, a southeast London team, and/or West Ham United, an east London team. Both teams had notorious crews during the 80s and early 90s; respectively, the F-Troop (later known as the Millwall Bushwackers), and the Inter City Firm (ICF).
The main plot of the film may be loosely based on Operation Full-Time, an undercover London Metropolitan Police operation whose express purpose was to identify and convict the leaders of the ICF, although, obviously, the film departs greatly from the reality in the particulars of its narrative.
Operation Full-Time was one of a serious of police operations during the mid-late 80s, which attempted to bring an end to organised football hooliganism. In the wake of the Heysel Stadium Disaster in 1985, and the negative impact it had on British football and British culture in general, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher gave the police unprecedented freedom in an attempt to infiltrate and bring down the biggest firms in the country, resulting in a huge number of operations targeting football hooliganism, and a massive increase in arrests related to football hooliganism.
In March 1986, the initial operation (Operation Own Goal), targeted the Chelsea Headhunters. Ever since Heysel, there had been rumours that members of the Headhunters were present in the stadium, and had been involved in the violence, with some reports claiming that it was actually the Headhunters who initiated the affray. The Headhunters also had a reputation for extreme racism, and had connections with both the National Front and Combat 18. As such, the police thought they represented a good place to begin the campaign, as arresting members of a racist firm would look good in the eyes of the media.
The express aim of Own Goal was to identify and convict the Godfathers who organised but did not partake in the violence; the police weren't especially interested in the footsoldiers, they wanted the leaders. Seven arrests took place, with each one resulting in a conviction. However, in 1989, all seven men were released after the Court of Appeal ruled that some of the police evidence had been tampered with by persons unknown prior to the initial trial.
In January 1987, Operation Red Card targeted the Birmingham Zulus, resulting in 67 arrests, with 49 being charged and nineteen jailed for up to thirty months each.
Operation Full-Time followed a few days after Red Card. Full-Time was unique insofar as unlike Own Goal and Red Card, it involved officers working undercover, posing as hooligans over a five month period. Targeting the ICF, Full-Time resulted in twenty-six arrests, with nineteen being charged. However, all nineteen were released when the prosecution failed to provide evidence in court.
Other operations around the same time included Operation Wild Boar (April, 1987), which targeted the Leeds Service Crew; Operation Back Yard (April, 1987), which again targeted the ICF; Operation White Horse (April, 1987), which targeted Crystal Palace's Dirty 30; Operation Spoonbill (March, 1988), which targeted the Luton Town MIGS; Operation Growth (March 1988), which targeted Wolverhampton Wanderers' Subway Army; Operation Dirty Den (April, 1988) which targeted the F-Troop; Operation Omega (April, 1988), which targeted Manchester City's Guv'nors; and Operation Gamma (December, 1989), which targeted Bolton Town's Cuckoo Boys.
The 2015 book - running with the firm is the story that the book was based upon. The book refers to Milwall and confirms comments above
In the film, Gumbo (Lee Ross) cannot speak properly and continually shakes.
Whilst it is never clarified as to exactly what is wrong with him, Martin (Sean Pertwee) does explain to John (Reece Dinsdale) that "he's fucking useless. Last year, right, his old girl pops her clogs. He falls apart. Can't boil a fucking egg, then fries himself trying to change a light bulb."
Presumably, his condition is as a result of the electric shock.
Whilst it is never clarified as to exactly what is wrong with him, Martin (Sean Pertwee) does explain to John (Reece Dinsdale) that "he's fucking useless. Last year, right, his old girl pops her clogs. He falls apart. Can't boil a fucking egg, then fries himself trying to change a light bulb."
Presumably, his condition is as a result of the electric shock.
When John and Martin are in Tyneburn market, they are confronted by a group of hooligans from the opposing firm. They charge the much larger group, and the film then immediately cuts to the police entering the market and scattering the combatants. By this stage, John is covered in blood and fears he has been stabbed, however, when he and Martin examine him, they discover it is not his blood. Later, when John is in bed with Lynda (Saskia Reeves), he is talking about the incident, and says he was shocked when he discovered he wasn't even scratched, to which she responds "well some poor sod was". Later in the film then, John discusses what happened with his three undercover partners; Trevor (Richard Graham), Eddie (Perry Fenwick) and Charlie (Philip Glenister);
Eddie: "There were video cameras at Tyneburn market."
John: "Who's seen 'em?"
Eddie: "Trev drove up on Sunday night, flashed a false warrant, greased a few palms."
John: "Who's seen 'em?"
Eddie: "Some little runt, didnt know what he was looking at."
Charlie: "And us."
John: "Give."
Charlie: "Trashed it."
John: "No. Not without me seeing it first. No, you wouldnt."
Charlie: "You can live without it"
John: "I can't remember nuthin', I swear"
Additionally, towards the end of the film, when John is listening to the radio in his thrashed house, he hears that Shadwell have been promoted, and the commentator says; "Everyone at the club of course stunned by that horrific fatal stabbing at Tyneburn."
Obviously, what happened was that John stabbed and killed a member of the opposing firm, hence his shirt being covered in blood.
Eddie: "There were video cameras at Tyneburn market."
John: "Who's seen 'em?"
Eddie: "Trev drove up on Sunday night, flashed a false warrant, greased a few palms."
John: "Who's seen 'em?"
Eddie: "Some little runt, didnt know what he was looking at."
Charlie: "And us."
John: "Give."
Charlie: "Trashed it."
John: "No. Not without me seeing it first. No, you wouldnt."
Charlie: "You can live without it"
John: "I can't remember nuthin', I swear"
Additionally, towards the end of the film, when John is listening to the radio in his thrashed house, he hears that Shadwell have been promoted, and the commentator says; "Everyone at the club of course stunned by that horrific fatal stabbing at Tyneburn."
Obviously, what happened was that John stabbed and killed a member of the opposing firm, hence his shirt being covered in blood.
After the incident in Tyneburn market, Martin and John are in the Rock, and Martin tells John that they are "top fucking boys". Bob (Warren Clarke) then tells John that Wynton (Alan Cooke) wants to see him, and both he and Martin approach. However, only John is allowed through; Martin is blocked by Wynton's bodyguards.
The reason for this is never specified. However, Wynton's speech does provide clues
This football lark? The wallop's dropped out of it. It's never been my scene really. England likes a bit of anarchy. Give it a good kick up the arse. But no one's having any fun anymore. It's all over. All over. The bootboys will go back to lurking in the shit and the slime with the BNP. Everyone else will get fat, bald, bring their kiddies to the match. You though, there's a career for you. [...] I don't mean pay the mortgage and die. Some place where you can use your talents, You got something to offer. I've been watching you for a while. You really wanna be a bad boy, don't ya? People I know have been hearing your name, asking about you. What you say we go and meet some of my friends?
Obviously, the people Wynton represents see John as someone they can use in endeavours beyond the parameters of football hooliganism. Presumably, they don't look at Martin the same way, instead seeing him simply as a hooligan, full stop, with nothing to offer beyond that.
The reason for this is never specified. However, Wynton's speech does provide clues
This football lark? The wallop's dropped out of it. It's never been my scene really. England likes a bit of anarchy. Give it a good kick up the arse. But no one's having any fun anymore. It's all over. All over. The bootboys will go back to lurking in the shit and the slime with the BNP. Everyone else will get fat, bald, bring their kiddies to the match. You though, there's a career for you. [...] I don't mean pay the mortgage and die. Some place where you can use your talents, You got something to offer. I've been watching you for a while. You really wanna be a bad boy, don't ya? People I know have been hearing your name, asking about you. What you say we go and meet some of my friends?
Obviously, the people Wynton represents see John as someone they can use in endeavours beyond the parameters of football hooliganism. Presumably, they don't look at Martin the same way, instead seeing him simply as a hooligan, full stop, with nothing to offer beyond that.
When John returns to the office after meeting with Wynton's friends, he finds that the operation has been shut down, and the police are gathering their files. A series of conversations then take place which explain exactly what has happened;
Trevor (on the phone): "So some other crew's fucked up. Why have we got to carry the can?"
Charlie (to John): "The Wapping squad's just been blown out of court."
Eddie (to John): "The Yard want to look at our evidence."
John: "They can't! I just spent a night in a room with five of the most wanted faces in the country."
Eddie: "Same as the last Shadwell squad. They were writing novels, making the whole fucking thing up."
John: "The football's nothing. Don't you see?"
Eddie: "Same as Southsea, Mid City."
John: "I'm getting Armalites in one ear and crack in the other. We've been blind. Rucks are just a sideshow. There ain't any conspiracy."
Trevor: "They're handing everything over to the Police Complaints Authority."
John: "This ain't the Rock crowd, this is fucking villains. The fucking criminals the taxpayers are paying us to catch!"
Later, back in the police station, DI Evans (Peter Blythe) tells the team that "The Police Complaints Authority have sifted your evidence with a toothcomb, and don't have a single serious query about your work. You are all to be commended. Whether the work achieves its original goals is another question. A question which some have raised rather loudly. The operation is being terminated forthwith. No arrests or charges will be made."
Basically, the operation was shut down because the undercover team investigating Wapping were found to have manufactured evidence; "They were writing novels, making the whole fucking thing up." This could be a reference to the end result of Operation Back Yard, which targeted the ICF, resulting in ten people being charged. During court proceedings however, all ten cases were dismissed when evidence provided by the prosecution was deemed "unsafe"; handwriting analysis proved that the police had forged some of the handwritten notes of supposed conversations with suspects, and the judge ruled that the logs could no longer be used as evidence, bringing the trial to an abrupt end.
Trevor (on the phone): "So some other crew's fucked up. Why have we got to carry the can?"
Charlie (to John): "The Wapping squad's just been blown out of court."
Eddie (to John): "The Yard want to look at our evidence."
John: "They can't! I just spent a night in a room with five of the most wanted faces in the country."
Eddie: "Same as the last Shadwell squad. They were writing novels, making the whole fucking thing up."
John: "The football's nothing. Don't you see?"
Eddie: "Same as Southsea, Mid City."
John: "I'm getting Armalites in one ear and crack in the other. We've been blind. Rucks are just a sideshow. There ain't any conspiracy."
Trevor: "They're handing everything over to the Police Complaints Authority."
John: "This ain't the Rock crowd, this is fucking villains. The fucking criminals the taxpayers are paying us to catch!"
Later, back in the police station, DI Evans (Peter Blythe) tells the team that "The Police Complaints Authority have sifted your evidence with a toothcomb, and don't have a single serious query about your work. You are all to be commended. Whether the work achieves its original goals is another question. A question which some have raised rather loudly. The operation is being terminated forthwith. No arrests or charges will be made."
Basically, the operation was shut down because the undercover team investigating Wapping were found to have manufactured evidence; "They were writing novels, making the whole fucking thing up." This could be a reference to the end result of Operation Back Yard, which targeted the ICF, resulting in ten people being charged. During court proceedings however, all ten cases were dismissed when evidence provided by the prosecution was deemed "unsafe"; handwriting analysis proved that the police had forged some of the handwritten notes of supposed conversations with suspects, and the judge ruled that the logs could no longer be used as evidence, bringing the trial to an abrupt end.
At the end of the film, Trevor encounters John in a National Front march. He approaches him to try to speak to him, and John informs him that he is undercover and tells him to get away or his cover will be blown. However, the film ends without clarifying for certain whether John is actually undercover or not; is he lying to Trevor, or telling the truth?
Whilst it is certainly possible that John could indeed be undercover, the prevailing theory amongst fans is that he has given in to the thug lifestyle and is in the march by choice.
The main argument for this theory is based on the overriding narrative of the film itself - John's gradual psychological breakdown. In this sense, the film is essentially the opposite of a bildungsroman; John doesn't achieve any kind of psychological awareness, rather he drifts into confusion and mania. His fall is total - at the start of the film he is a happily married, ambitious and cocky police officer. By the end, his marriage is over and he is a drug addict (the scene immediately prior to the National Front scene shows him pouring cocaine on his breakfast cereal). He has destroyed both his house and the police locker room. In both cases, the symbolism is important - the house represents the quaint middle class domesticity he has rejected, and the locker room represents the career he has thrown away, as well as the law he has chosen to discard. He has lost his identity; that of a policeman and a husband, and has instead chosen to become a thug.
This has happened because during the undercover investigation into The Dogs, John got a taste of the thug lifestyle and became addicted to it. The football itself didn't mean much to him; when Shadwell are promoted, he simply stares into empty space, and earlier in the film, he says to Gumbo, "Football. It isn't worth it." This indicates that it is not football hooliganism per se which has seduced him, but hooliganism in a broader sense. He has become addicted to mob violence. As such, he joins the National Front not because he is racist or believes in their political ideology, but simply for the thuggery and violence. It provides the fix John needs after the Shadwell firm is broken up. He needs a new outlet for the overwhelming violence he finds within himself, and the National Front provides just that. A crucial point in support of this theory is that when John is speaking to Wynton in the Rock, Wynton says "The bootboys will go back to lurking in the shit and the slime with the BNP." This is exactly what John does.
Fans who believe that this is the correct interpretation of the final scene, that John is not undercover and has simply succumbed to the allure of violence, point to the name of the film (I.D.) and the tagline ("When you go undercover, remember one thing. Who you are"). This is exactly what John fails to do - remember who he is. In this sense then, the final scene sums up the entire movie, he has lost all perception of self, and has become the very thing he was supposed to destroy.
In a more practical sense, it could be argued that John could not be undercover insofar as the police authorities would know well how unstable he had become and would not employ him at all, let alone send him on dangerous undercover work. There is also the issue that if John was indeed undercover, surely Trevor would have known as much.
However, not every fan subscribes to this argument, with some arguing that he is undercover at the end of the film, and the final scene is an illustration both of his tendency to become enveloped in the work, and Trevor's inability to work undercover at all, something which is emphasised at several points during the film (for example, when he tries to arrest the Arsenal supporter, when he tries to come on to Lynda, when he alerts police to the organised fight, when he flees the opposition's area in the crowd). One question that could be asked regarding the idea that he may in fact be undercover is how could Trevor know where John was if he wasn't? Another issue is that the police did know how unstable John was, and that was exactly why they were using him in such a dangerous operation; he was so far gone, he could do jobs no one else could - the ultimate cop on the edge, so to speak.
In the end, the film is slightly ambiguous as to the meaning of the final scene, but the vast majority of fans do interpret it to signify John's final collapse and fall from grace, and his claim that he is undercover as either delusion or an outright lie.
Whilst it is certainly possible that John could indeed be undercover, the prevailing theory amongst fans is that he has given in to the thug lifestyle and is in the march by choice.
The main argument for this theory is based on the overriding narrative of the film itself - John's gradual psychological breakdown. In this sense, the film is essentially the opposite of a bildungsroman; John doesn't achieve any kind of psychological awareness, rather he drifts into confusion and mania. His fall is total - at the start of the film he is a happily married, ambitious and cocky police officer. By the end, his marriage is over and he is a drug addict (the scene immediately prior to the National Front scene shows him pouring cocaine on his breakfast cereal). He has destroyed both his house and the police locker room. In both cases, the symbolism is important - the house represents the quaint middle class domesticity he has rejected, and the locker room represents the career he has thrown away, as well as the law he has chosen to discard. He has lost his identity; that of a policeman and a husband, and has instead chosen to become a thug.
This has happened because during the undercover investigation into The Dogs, John got a taste of the thug lifestyle and became addicted to it. The football itself didn't mean much to him; when Shadwell are promoted, he simply stares into empty space, and earlier in the film, he says to Gumbo, "Football. It isn't worth it." This indicates that it is not football hooliganism per se which has seduced him, but hooliganism in a broader sense. He has become addicted to mob violence. As such, he joins the National Front not because he is racist or believes in their political ideology, but simply for the thuggery and violence. It provides the fix John needs after the Shadwell firm is broken up. He needs a new outlet for the overwhelming violence he finds within himself, and the National Front provides just that. A crucial point in support of this theory is that when John is speaking to Wynton in the Rock, Wynton says "The bootboys will go back to lurking in the shit and the slime with the BNP." This is exactly what John does.
Fans who believe that this is the correct interpretation of the final scene, that John is not undercover and has simply succumbed to the allure of violence, point to the name of the film (I.D.) and the tagline ("When you go undercover, remember one thing. Who you are"). This is exactly what John fails to do - remember who he is. In this sense then, the final scene sums up the entire movie, he has lost all perception of self, and has become the very thing he was supposed to destroy.
In a more practical sense, it could be argued that John could not be undercover insofar as the police authorities would know well how unstable he had become and would not employ him at all, let alone send him on dangerous undercover work. There is also the issue that if John was indeed undercover, surely Trevor would have known as much.
However, not every fan subscribes to this argument, with some arguing that he is undercover at the end of the film, and the final scene is an illustration both of his tendency to become enveloped in the work, and Trevor's inability to work undercover at all, something which is emphasised at several points during the film (for example, when he tries to arrest the Arsenal supporter, when he tries to come on to Lynda, when he alerts police to the organised fight, when he flees the opposition's area in the crowd). One question that could be asked regarding the idea that he may in fact be undercover is how could Trevor know where John was if he wasn't? Another issue is that the police did know how unstable John was, and that was exactly why they were using him in such a dangerous operation; he was so far gone, he could do jobs no one else could - the ultimate cop on the edge, so to speak.
In the end, the film is slightly ambiguous as to the meaning of the final scene, but the vast majority of fans do interpret it to signify John's final collapse and fall from grace, and his claim that he is undercover as either delusion or an outright lie.
Because the film is not about football. Ostensibly it is about football hooliganism, but in reality, it is essentially a character study; a kind of sustained examination of one man's hubris destroying all those around him, and ultimately, himself.
There is much debate about this issue amongst fans of the film, with many saying they remember it being filmed in 1989, and others swearing that they remember it being filmed in 1994!
There are, however, two pieces of evidence which clarify that the film was definitely filmed in 1994, and released in 1995.
Firstly, the copyright information at the end of the credits read "Copyright Parallax Pictures Ltd/Metropolis Filmproduktion MCMXCIV."
Secondly, during a scene early in the film, the Shadwell film encounter a group of Arsenal fans, several of whom are wearing the Arsenal home jersey from the 1990/1991 season. This shirt would only have gone on sale during the late summer of 1990; so the film could not possibly have been shot prior to 1990, meaning that of the two dates, the IMDb is correct. Presumably the DVD simply contains a misprint.
It was filmed in 1994 at Rotherham Uniteds old Millmoor ground a lot of my school friends were extras in it
There are, however, two pieces of evidence which clarify that the film was definitely filmed in 1994, and released in 1995.
Firstly, the copyright information at the end of the credits read "Copyright Parallax Pictures Ltd/Metropolis Filmproduktion MCMXCIV."
Secondly, during a scene early in the film, the Shadwell film encounter a group of Arsenal fans, several of whom are wearing the Arsenal home jersey from the 1990/1991 season. This shirt would only have gone on sale during the late summer of 1990; so the film could not possibly have been shot prior to 1990, meaning that of the two dates, the IMDb is correct. Presumably the DVD simply contains a misprint.
It was filmed in 1994 at Rotherham Uniteds old Millmoor ground a lot of my school friends were extras in it
The R2 UK DVD released by Universal Home Entertainment (UK) in 2006 contains the following special features:
Theatrical Trailer
Stills Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Stills Gallery
Yes it is. The Region B locked UK edition released by Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) in 2012 contains a digitally remastered 1.78:1 anamorphic picture and a digitally remastered soundtrack available in both Dolby 2.0 stereo and Dolby 5.1 DTS HD. It contains no special features.
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- How long is I.D.?1 hour and 47 minutes
- When was I.D. released?May 5, 1995
- What is the IMDb rating of I.D.?7.3 out of 10
- Who stars in I.D.?
- Who wrote I.D.?
- Who directed I.D.?
- Who was the composer for I.D.?
- Who was the producer of I.D.?
- Who was the executive producer of I.D.?
- Who was the cinematographer for I.D.?
- Who was the editor of I.D.?
- What is the plot of I.D.?When a cop goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of hooligans, he finds himself being drawn to the other side.
- What is I.D. rated?18
- What genre is I.D.?Crime Drama, Crime, and Drama
- How many awards has I.D. won?1 award
- How many awards has I.D. been nominated for?2 nominations
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