The Shouting Men

‘The Shouting Men’ is a gormless British road movie that follows a group of Gillingham FC fans who travel to Newcastle by minibus to  catch an away fixture. In footballing terms, the film is like a ten-nil trouncing on home turf by a team of lower-league minnows.

The scatological humour favoured by director Steve Kelly (‘City Rats’) and writer-star Warren Llambias means that much of the film is taken up by shots of people on toilets and references to such hot-button topics as ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and football firm The ICF. Each character is based on a broad stereotype, so there’s The Fat One, The Black One, The Old One, The Violent One, The Quiet One, The Woman and The Sexed-Up OAP Couple.

All reach a gloopy epiphany in a final scene of pure idiocy in which Tinker from ‘Lovejoy’ doles out fortune-cookie wisdom bombs in a pub carvery. John Barnes cameos as himself.