As a keen, passionate football fan who arrived on the scene way after the 'golden age' of football hooliganism, this particular genre of film really appeals to me.Awaydays is totally different to the laddish, almost comedic 'Football Factory' and the attempted honourable, noble portrayal of football hooliganism in 'Green Street' - Awaydays offers a negative, gloomy, dangerous view of a by-gone era, and refreshingly so.I thought the complicated bromance between the two main characters was acted extremely well, very believable. However, the running time of the film didn't allow for the complexity of their relationship to develop properly.The two other factors that really bugged me about this film were the fight scenes; a group of teenagers easily turning over gangs of fully grown men, and a fellow member of the gang killing the leader for no real reason - without any repercussions. The two were having a disagreement throughout the film over one of them selling heroin to other members of the 'firm', but the sub-plot was far too thin to make such a drastic action relevant.Overall, an interesting film offering a different insight into the 'casual' culture. The mood may be more in touch with the reality of that particular lifestyle, but a few major drawbacks prevent Awaydays from pulling off its intended significance and impact.

This film is jarringly bad - there's the odd decent tune on the soundtrack, but how did this garbage ever get made. We live in harsh, recession hit times, yet people still had money to waste on making this!!!!! Sometimes, the world just doesn't make sense.Where to start... Acting - uniformly bad; the accents - terrible; the screenplay: Sampson cannot blame anyone else for this mess - he adapted his own novel (have not read the book but would anyone be encouraged to after seeing the film?) He clearly doesn't understand the period that well, though - scousers did not talk like this in the late seventies. In sociolinguistic terms, the dialogue is miles off! I didn't get beyond the 12-minute mark; without a doubt, a contender for the worst film ever made.

Another year, another film about football, and the cult that is hooliganism.This time, they have Stephen Graham in a del-boy jacket and cool moustache and a quite good soundtrack to try and sell the film. It all fails miserably.It's the everyday story of a young lad who is bored with life, is at a football match and sees some violence and wants in, and starts to ignore his family in favour of the football (or rather the fighting).it's your typically clichéd movie. and the one that stands out the most is the fact that the one who lets him into the group 'Elvis', is rejected by Carty halfway through.In the films favour though, it's realistically filmed, Bell is very good in his role,and Stephen Graham may as well change his name to Robert Carlyle, as now he will always be remembered for his role in 'this is england' as Carlyle is for Trainspotting.the story doesn't really go anywhere, we just see Carty sink deeper an deeper into the abyss, all the while not realising that Elvis is blatantly in love with him.there really hasn't been a good 'Firm' movie since Clarks TV drama 'the firm', and this is just another nail in the football movie coffin.give me when Saturday comes any-day

I'm sure this film isn't everyone's cup o' tea, I went in not expecting much, just hoping the soundtrack would live up to the hype. But I've got to say it is an amazingly good passage-of-rites drama. Vicious and Beautiful, it defies genre and is totally refreshing.Nicky Bell and Liam Boyle are two real discoveries, Boyle's Elvis character is pitch perfect, a complex and compelling performance that will make him a star, whilst Bell broods convincingly throughout.It has the best soundtrack ever. No messing around! Makes me wish I was around for that 1979 post punk period.Awaydays has a purposely ( I assume ) lo-fi look which really helps convey the grim post-thatcher Merseyside setting. All the clothes and general design looks spot on ( and often eerily contemporary ) Best film of the year by far.I pray that Elvis didn't die and ends up in Berlin so there's a sequel.