Awaydays (2009)

AWAYDAYS is one of the dullest films I've sat through in a while. Ostensibly a hard-hitting exploration of life as a football thug, in reality this is just a piece of trash. The diabolical script, littered with c-words and other mindless thuggery, fails to distinguish between different characters and also fails to explore any of the themes we usually associate with good film-making, namely redemption, honour, respect, integrity.There are no character arcs, no growth, no exploration of the human spirit. The only distinctive character is the one played by Stephen Graham, who feels like a pastiche of Robert Carlyle's infamous character in TRAINSPOTTING. There are violent scenes of head-kicking and gang fighting, but none of them are presented with an ounce of interest. They're not even particularly hard-hitting.Most of the cast are undoubtedly amateurs and that's more than obvious in the wooden faces and stilted dialogue. If you're looking for a film in this vein then I recommend Peter Mullan's NEDS, which handles the same era and the same topics in an infinitively better, harder-hitting and thoroughly engaging way.

Thoroughly entertaining and engaging adaptation of a cult novel, i would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys this style of film - along with I.D., Football Factory, The Firm, Green Street etc this is that type of fast paced take on football hooliganism. The characters are rock solid and portrayed excellently with commitment and enthusiasm. There is an arty, melancholy, even decidedly feminine touch to some parts of the film which lends it a neat contrast. I would actually read the book to understand the characters better - that's how much i enjoyed it! Despite a few very small details picked up by other viewers this is, i feel, a very underrated film which deserves more recognition for daring to be different. The performances by Nicky Bell and Liam Boyle in particular are powerful stuff.

As someone who was born in Birkenhead and lived in Wirral for over 30 years, the first thing that struck me was the awful accents. Even I struggled to understand! Hardly surprising that most of the cast is from Manchester. It's difficult too to pin a time on the film, 70s buses and trains then a modern Renault Clio and some recent Merseyrail trains. All of which just make me think 'must try harder'A group of young kids embark on several fights against men 3 of 4 times their age, come out unmarked. Little to make you feel for any characters, a death that comes out of the blue with no real reason.....all in all, not great. My reason for watching....spotting the local landmarks and a decent soundtrack. Perhaps I should have read the book instead.

There seems to be some ill-will towards this tidy little parable and I cannot understand why.Maybe the Joy Division fanboys feel the material is misplaced but I contend the great soundtrack is only used to set time and place and does not work in reverse like some latter day music vid.Nor is it a 'hooligan' movie.My own reaction was that this is a terrific effort, both from a committed cast and production side who nail the period in perfect British bleakness.The football hooliganism feels like it is intended - a fantastical sideshow and not the main thrust of the film which centres around a lower middle-class lad's attempt for acceptance by a pack of working-class hooligans and the unrequited homosexual love between him and the pack's coolest member.Carty, said middle-class lad, ultimately is a tourist, and the film conveys this superbly while whipping us along for the ride.Pay little attention to those attempting to fold this boisterous creation into a pigeon hole; it stands on its own as a potent reflection of a sentimentally grim time in British culture.Entertaining, admirable and bittersweet. Watch it.