Away Days: Review

Away Days Review

Away Days, a Pat Holden piece, focuses on the intense world of football hooliganism. The bloody, violent and twisted elements of the phenomenon have been well-publicised over the last three decades in British and European football and this production is an attempt to explain why individuals choose to join larger circles and batter their rivals' fans.

Going into this film, I knew Stephen Graham was involved and as such I already had high hopes, knowing full well the standard of performances he is capable of. Sadly, i was incredibly disappointed.

What could have been an epic unravelling of the world of hooliganism insteads turns out to be more of a homoerotic and unfocused portrait of belonging, one which leaves a lot to be desired but also seems to glorify the harsh and brutal nature of the hooligan arena.

The story takes a while to get started and even then it seems to plod along, with only three or four major plot points; yep, you guessed it, fist-fights. The relationship between Carty, a newcomes welcomed into the local Liverpool hooligan gang, and his sister verge on the realms of incest at times and seems unsettlingly intense. As Carty makes his way through the hierarchy of the gang, he finds a thirst for blood, pain and violence which drives him on through his dreary day job. As he does so, his newly-found friend 'Elvis', is slowly edged out by the leader John (played by Graham), a tough, no-nonsense captain.

With Carty finding himself on top of the ladder and leading his way through the various conflicts that arise through his sister's own problems, he realises he needs Elvis's help, not only emotionally and physically. Though by opening up to Elvis, he lets him back into his former prominent position within the gang, and once again Carty is a relative outsider.

As the inner conflicts reveal themselves within the gang, and the captain is bumped off to make way for younger blood (with little consequence, which surprised me somewhat), Carty must decide whether to save Elvis from his depressive drug habit, or instead focus on what he loves best, taking apart rival fans week in, week out. Inevitably he chooses the adrenaline rush; losing a true friend along the way, as Elvis decides to end his life.

Whilst the film may appeal to those who enjoy watching fist-fights and pavement stompings, this was not for me. The relationships brought about in the film often made little sense, and there were scenes which left me searching for their worth within the overall piece. Of course, the scouse accents didn't help; but nothing else could save this from being a rather average piece.

6/10