Arrivederci Millwall

Originally shown on TV in a cut form. Scripted by Nick Perry, it's not a 'football film', but rather an examination of the lives of a group of 'hardcore' Millwall supporters as they prepare for England's World Cup match in Bilbao in 1982. With the build-up and subsequent 'victory' in the Falklands as a backdrop, the gang's bigoted, nationalistic views and love of violence are exacerbated after the death, in the conflict, of their leader's brother. Sun readers to a man, they take an overdose of jingoism on board the ferry for Spain, where they indulge in loutish behaviour and are subsequently imprisoned. But on release, Billy's desire to avenge his brother's death ('All dagoes are the same') backfires when he steals a pistol and accidentally kills a friend. The violence is neither condoned nor glamorised, serving merely to reinforce the futility of war and aggression in all its guises. A depressing film, none the less.