I have just seen a DVD of this film, could not believe how bad it is. No wonder it flopped in the cinema. almost turned it off even though it was passed on free by a mate. Characterisation was very poor, actually makes Greenstreet look quite good!
how much public money was wasted on this turgid mess I wonder?
I agree - terrible fetishization of the late 70s/early 80s era, bothin terms of fashion and football violence.
Plus I hate maudlin "oh, how we suffer" scousers as well, so that didn't help...
Plus I hate maudlin "oh, how we suffer" scousers as well, so that didn't help
Scousers from Birkenhead you must be a woolyback or a southern man u fan
who has never been past Watford.
I agree, I actually gave up halfway.
I'm a scouser and even I struggled to understand half of what's being said. It makes Football Factory and Green Street look like Citizen Kane by example.
How can you say that when none of the main characters had a real scouse
accent and Stephen Graham is from kirkby, knowsley,not Liverpool.
Totally Disagree, this was a good flick, a better take on what is already becoming a tired subject, a northern perspective of what's usually set in London and full of *beep* lingo and even *beep* clobber.
Set in '79 with a great soundtrack and the dawn of a new era, it was a good effort, the story plays different to the novel, it shouldn't be compared but always will be.
To even compare this to crap like Green Street and The Football Factory suggests you are all young kids who don't know what you're talking about.
Absolute rubbish, and anyone claiming this to be realistic was obviously not there. As bad as Green Street.
shareSounds like someone has a hidden agenda, a rival filmmaker perhaps? To say Green Street is better than Awaydays is lunacy. It's an absolute beaut of a film!
shareI was pleasantly surprised by this. I've seen far worse adaptions of good books - Trainspotting for example, though a decent film in its own right, is a heavily diluted adaption. In that respect, i think Awaydays captured the tone and the major themes of the novel superbly. A hooligan film that dares to wear even thickly veiled notions of class tourism and repressed homosexuality on its dapper sleeve is one that should be applauded, given the fact they are conundrums the wider genres built-in nuts/zoo-plastic-hooly audience aren't likely to be familiar with, much less warm to. A fact which is evident given the films unfavourable comparisons to The Football Factory (another anaemic adaption) and Green Street (I actually think it might be very clever satire...), both of which are, as a previous poster quite rightly said, essentially kids films, and sell like Disney. Sure the film is not without its faults, but for those that simply wanted a suitable companion piece to the book, i dont think you could ask for much more.
shareFight 1: Not one of 'The Pack' is even injured and they leave every one of the skinheads floored, it's not like the skinheads ran off, 'The Pack' just kicked all their heads in without a single loss on their side. Unbelievable.
Fight 2: Carty is kicked to the floor after breaking through a police line but still manages to get up despite a gang of people kicking his head in. Unbelievable.
Later on in Fight 2: 'The Pack' break through the police line, kick everyones heads in and leave, without a single arrest by the police or a without a single copper smashing anyones face in with their truncheon. Unbelievable.
Later on (Fight 3, maybe): One head butt and one knee in the stomach and Carty is out of the rest of the fight. Believable, but why's he suddenly not superman anymore?
In the rugby pub: He's floored by a punch he's not expecting and doesn't get up, gets his head kicked in. Believable, but again, where's superman gone?
Back in the rugby pub for revenge: The rugby lads stand there and let him do shagger over. Unbelievable, considering last time all he said was "who's *beep* and got his head kicked in.
Finally, Why wouldn't 'The Pack' retaliate for Godden being stabbed to death? The kid who did it still runs with them, like mates? Unbelievable. At least some of the pack, except Carty and Elvis, would've been loyal to Godden.
"Get off my lawn."
Stop taking everything at face value
shareI think the class tourism thing could/ should have been explored more. I felt like Elvis was a much better explored character and I understood his motivation more to be part of the pack, and I mean beyond that it was a reaction against his sexuality. Carty's boredom wasn't enough of an explanation, not to be that violent, not when he was supposed to be a sympathetic character. I also found it quite conflicting that he was both drawn to the thoughtful (albeit a bit of a psued) Elvis and the mindless aggression of the pack.
I've read so much slating of Green Street on here that I might have to give it a watch for a laugh. I have seen one clip with the blonde guy from queer as folk seemingly forgetting how to act.
shut up m8 you are of ya head 2 say awaydays was better than green street!
get a grip on reality fool!
I've just watched this film on DVD and it is one of the worst films I've seen in a long time, probably the worst football film ever!
shareAre you *beep* kidding me? This is better than anything Nick Love, Julian Gilbey or that girl who directed green street could make.
I really don't understand where the dislike for this film is coming from. It was extremely well made and had a strong point at it's core.
I agree, just watched this tosh on DVD and got through a whole pack of "ProPlus" to get to the "ending"... Still waiting.
I'm not going to compare it to Green Street or Football Factory because I don't think this nonsense is talking about the same subject. This is about Liverpudlian, '70's, Joy Division fuelled, teenage sexuality and frustration, and has about as much to do with football hooliganism as "Barbie and the Nutcracker". To compare this to (as the DVD cover suggests) "This is England" or "Quadrophenia" is misleading to say the least.
If you want a good Hooligan flick, watch Gary Oldman's "The Firm" or "Rise of the Footsoldier", basically anything other than this - it will disappoint!
I was perplexed how a group of teenage yobs could win a fight with a group of full grown experienced looking men. It doesn't make sense.
Err.. teenage yobs with stanley knives could take down an elephant. What happened to Elvis? We have to guess! he may or may not have jumped off the bridge, great films leave people with questions. What happened to Carty? He decided enough was enough and it was time to grow up. So would you if someone slashed you cheek to cheek, you know, it's a fantastic coming of age story..
Trust me as soon as anybody, even a few teenagers, pulls out "uncle Stanley" you will have a few lads on the back foot. Most lads are not tooled up and nobody wants a 20 stitch reminder of their bravery after standing their ground. Liverpool had a reputation for blades all over. Their surrounding areas had names known as Stanley road and Stanley park to away fans. Shivers down the spine stuff.
share[deleted]
Er... its actual name is Stanley Park. Nothing to do with knives.