Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- gritty
- tense
- confrontational
- crime film night
- british cinema showcase
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a tense, gritty, and socially grounded British crime drama that effectively depicts undercover immersion in football hooligan culture.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
John’s undercover role as a football hooligan gradually blurs the boundary between police work and personal identification.
The investigation takes place inside organized football hooligan networks and their group codes.
The policemen infiltrate the gang to identify its leaders, while John becomes morally entangled in the assignment.
Association football grounds, supporter culture, and hooligan networks provide the film’s defining social landscape.
Films like I.D., and why
The Departed
undercover policing, institutional pressure, and morally destabilizing immersion in criminal subcultures
The Long Good Friday
british crime drama driven by undercover identity, class tension, and compromised loyalties
Nil by Mouth
gritty social realism, criminal violence, and protagonists crossing ethical boundaries
Movie Details
- Director
- Phil Davis
- Release Date
- 1995-05-05
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (107)
Cast
- Reece Dinsdale
- Richard Graham
- Perry Fenwick
- Philip Glenister
- Warren Clarke
- Claire Skinner
- Saskia Reeves
- Sean Pertwee
- Charles De'Ath
- Terry Cole
Common questions
- What is I.D. about?
- A police undercover operation inside Britain’s football hooligan culture turns professional disguise into a destabilizing crisis of identity.
- What is I.D. like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of I.D. as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is I.D. violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in I.D. as brutal.
- What did critics think of I.D.?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a tense, gritty, and socially grounded British crime drama that effectively depicts undercover immersion in football hooligan culture.
- Which films are like I.D.?
- Films with a similar feel include The Departed, The Long Good Friday, and Nil by Mouth.
- How long is I.D.?
- I.D. runs 107 minutes.
