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Movie Review – The Shouting Men
The film is called The Shouting Men after the logo of Gillingham Football Club. The latin on the coat of arms roughly translates to “The home of the shouting men”, which is quite befitting if you’ve ever been to a home match at the club.
The Shouting Men is a small budget Brit flick following a group of Gills fans on their journey to Newcastle for the FA cup quarter finals. The group come together while queuing at the Gills ground for tickets to the quarter finals. Several people standing together in the line realise it would be cheaper for all of them to go together in one minibus rather than attempting to make the journey separately. Terry, a man in a wheelchair with no legs, tells them he can get them a free minibus and free diesel if they just take him with them. And so the journey begins, and there are plenty of mistakes and mishaps along the way!
This film brings together plenty of good old Brit humour with heartfelt individual stories; A man who has spent all his time obsessing over the club instead of being there for his wife and son; a guy who has been so wrapped up in his own depression he can’t see that his best friend has a huge secret; a grandfather seeing his grand daughter for the first time in 17 years; a Scot who left home years ago, leaving behind his wife and two sons, scared to go home after so long in case they hate him.
There are happy moments, sad moments and plenty of funny moments as the eclectic group finally arrive at their destination. The match itself seems to be an old game altered in several places in order to provide the footage for the movie. Guest appearances from John Barnes and recently reappointed Gills manager Andy Hessenthaler really add to the footy feel of the movie and an appearance from Craig Fairbrass is just plain funny.
The Shouting Men was shot on location in Gillingham and Newcastle. Being a Gillingham resident myself, it was quite fun just to spot all the different locations used around town. The Greenwich University campus and buildings were used quite extensively for locations supposedly in Newcastle, such as a hospital and a train station. Even parts of the roads just outside Newcastle, for those with a keen eye, can be seen to be locations in Hempstead.
Overall, The Shouting Men was an enjoyable watch with several laugh out loud moments. A great watch for Gills fans especially.
