The Shouting Men – Steve Kelly

Not-so-violent British football drama-cum-comedy

In the opening seconds a brawl erupts. Some West Ham fans stroll idly by discusses their wives’ and mother’s reliance on astrology when an angry Gillingham fan starts hurling abuse. Oh good, another film about violent football fans. Violence that in actuality has not been prevalent in its rawest form since the 80s, even though directors can’t seem to ignore it.

Seconds after the cheesy opening credits (Tom Hark by The Piranhas – a well known tune across the nations football pitches) it was clear that this was not like other football films and was more compatible with British flicks such as The Full Monty or The Parole Officer. A mismatched bunch connected by one common goal.

The Shouting Men is actually a heartfelt film about an unlikely bunch of Gillingham FC fans making their way 306 miles up north to the Toon to fight the Magpies. It is a well written and thought out ‘buddy movie’ that brings together the most unlikely of characters, connected by their utmost devotion to a lower league team. Obviously, as with all road trip movies, things go awry and it’s in these moments which, though sometimes quite predictable, the comic gems come charge forward.

Unfortunately, like many football films that have preceded this one, it doesn’t always get it quite right. But focusing on the ‘nawty rambles’ of London firms, this film shows a different side to the devoted football fan. More Fever Pitch than Green Street. Which, for me was certainly no bad thing.

The Shouting Men does have more pros than many football films – the main one being that the viewer doesn’t actually have to like football to appreciate the film or the characters’ stories, whether it’s the philosophical Charlie or two-hat-wearing teen, Darren. There are some genuinely funny moments in this film, many of which were my favourite type of humour, awkward.

It’s difficult when a main character is in terrible trouble but has a permanent marker moustache and glasses on.

It’s also seat-shifting uncomfortable when a man in a wheelchair tries to take on three West Ham fans or the Newcastle United mascot.

Occasionally it felt like it was trying too hard to be more than it was – a good low-budget British film in a sea of American imports. There were serious issues being dealt with, cancer, homosexuality and disability for instance; not to mention excessive alcohol consumption and the neglected wives that are standpatter characters in football films. Each and every character had his or her story on the side. There were so many side plots that they did not always get the time they deserved.

I liked that the two main actors wrote the film and that a lot of the cast had worked on the same programmes in their acting career. The actors and the director were all staples in programmes such as The Bill, Holby City and Doctors, a casting decision that enforced the close-knit camaraderie of the firm.

In saying that, I couldn’t help thinking that the cast might have been stronger had, what I imagine to be a large chunk of the budget, not been spent on cameos by the likes of John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, and Craig Fairbrass. Yeah, I had to look him up too, he used to be in Eastenders. He was only in it for five minutes.

As a cinema goer I am still unsure on the merits of 3D. Every time I settle down to watch the silver screen I am bombarded with adverts about digital this and 3D that. Every film is a multimillion dollar blockbuster. So, it was pleasant that in this new age digital era that lower budget films are still being made and shown in big cinemas. Though I have a feeling that it being set partly in Newcastle had something to do with its three day stint at our own Empire cinema.

Rating: 7/10 for a football film, 5.5/10 as a stand alone film