Awaydays

Awaydays is a British drama set on the Wirral during the early years of Margaret Thatcher's time in power. Carty is a nineteen-year-old with little to occupy him beyond a dull job, and what draws him in is a stylish football crew known as The Pack. Their world is built around clothes, terraces and violence, and Carty wants a place in it. Meeting Elvis, a member of the group, gives him his opening, though Elvis proves a difficult and troubled figure to get close to. The story follows Carty as he is drawn deeper into a life of fighting, drinking and casual encounters.

The film is directed by Pat Holden, whose previous feature was The Long Weekend in 2005. Kevin Sampson wrote the screenplay, adapting his own novel. Nicky Bell plays the lead, with Liam Boyle as Elvis and Stephen Graham among the supporting cast, alongside Oliver Lee, Lee Battle and Holliday Grainger.

Awaydays was released in 2009 and runs 105 minutes. It is a British production from Red Union Films. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.2 from 52 votes, while the film critics' rating stands at 5 out of 10 from 31 reviews, placing the two measures broadly in line with each other.