Rise of the Footsoldier/Awaydays/Cass

Triple bill of hooligan-themed action films. 'Rise of the Footsoldier' (2007) offers a gritty portrayal of the life of Carlton Leach (Ricci Harnett), football hooligan, whose innate ferocity propels him into an escalating life of serious crime.

Over the course of three decades, Leach 'progresses' from attack-dog hooligan to nightclub bouncer, before becoming involved with the ever-expanding drug scene - his passport into the criminal elite.

In 'Awaydays' (2008), set in Birkenhead in 1979, Nicky Bell stars as 19-year-old Paul Carty, a bored, middle-class, junior civil servant who becomes involved in a gang of 'casuals', called 'The Pack', who live for drugs, music, casual sex, football, fighting and, perhaps most importantly, fashion - specifically Fred Perry shirts, Lois jeans and Adidas Forest Hills trainers.

As his intense relationship with fellow Pack member Elvis (Liam Boyle) begins to verge on the destructive, Paul finds himself plunged into a dark and violent world from which he cannot escape. 'Cass' (2008) is based on the true story of a Jamaican orphan who loses his parents and is subsequently adopted and raised by an elderly white couple in London.

During his childhood Cass (Nonso Anozie) is forced to endure racist bullying, until one day he takes matters into his own hands and responds to the constant taunts with a violent outburst.

Cass becomes addicted to the buzz of fighting and soon becomes one of the most feared and respected men in the city.

Unfortunately, his new way of life eventually leads to an assassination attempt against him.

Cass survives but is left with an important choice - to fully embrace the violence that has shaped his life or to make a completely new start.