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and
Richard Giulianotti point to a "subtext" in the film, linking the poverty and injustice in the lads' lives to the main motivation for the plot, which arises from the fact that "entry prices in what was once the people's game have become so high as to exclude many of the traditional fan base. The
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Sewell is delighted when Gemma reveals she is pregnant, but horrified when she goes back to her former fiancé. Sewell attacks him during an ice-hockey match and knocks him out, but is beaten up by his teammates. Gerry's mother becomes ill and is hospitalised. Gerry finds Billy, who ignores his pleas
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Billy finds the family's new flat and steals all the money Gerry has accumulated. At an empty fairground, Gerry spots
Bridget, who is now a homeless drug addict, but she disappears when he leaves to get some food. After Gemma breaks up with Zak, she becomes Sewell's girlfriend. The lads' shoplifting
449:), who has run away from home. When Billy finds where they live and badly beats Gerry's mother, the family has to move to a secret location. Gerry is bribed by a social worker to attend school for two weeks, after which he will get two free football tickets. At school, he is bullied by his teacher (
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for support. Having lost all their earnings, Sewell and Gerry decide on one last major crime, a bank robbery that goes disastrously wrong; the lads are arrested. Gerry learns that Billy has been killed in a road accident. The friends are sentenced to 200 hours of
469:. The thug who originally owned the dog sees the show and spots the animal with Sewell. He finds and attacks him. The seemingly weak and mild-mannered Sewell floors him with a single blow on the neck. At the Newcastle United training ground at the
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criticises Herman's fondness for "cloying" close-ups and "contrived melodramatic showdown", saying that the film "probably didn't create many new converts to Herman's partly gritty, party feel-good socialist realist strain of filmmaking."
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Critic Robert Shail praised the film for its "toughness", saying that it has "enough grit" to depict the characters' lives "without condescension or recourse to easy solutions". In contrast, Jessica Winter in
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sees the film as a departure from a common depiction of football fans as hooligans, emphasising the positive communal values of the game as "an escape from the violence and despair of their homes".
340:, the actual dialect phrase "Pure Belter" has been altered to "Purely Belter" to make it grammatically more conventional for a mainstream audience. The phrase is spoken several times in the film.
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stadium and steal the "sacred" turf from the penalty spot. After this success, they dream of earning money to get season tickets, with aid from their guardian angel, the
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and ask him to give them season tickets, but he just laughs. They steal a sports car, which turns out to be
Shearer's. Eventually they leave the car and go
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dialect expression. "Pure" means very, and "Belter" or "Belta" means great or good. Despite it being based in
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441:) and his sister Clare (Tracy Whitwell) who has a baby. They are separated from their violent father Billy (
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Armstrong, Richard; Charity, Tom; Hughes, Lloyd; Winter, Jessica (27 September 2007).
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match. After failing to sell them, the two friends watch the match at the
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437:. At home, Gerry lives with his sickly mother (
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600:Ethics, money and sport: this sporting mammon
523:film reeks with a sense of basic injustice."
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316:Learn how and when to remove this message
541:British film directors: a critical guide
422:and baby sitting, they eventually begin
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986:2021 takeover of Newcastle United F.C.
598:Adrian J. Walsh, Richard Giulianotti,
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294:adding citations to reliable sources
1032:Films produced by Elizabeth Karlsen
602:, Taylor & Francis, 2007, p.82.
1017:British association football films
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671:See You At Wembley, Frankie Walsh
1027:Films set in Newcastle upon Tyne
565:. London: Rough Guides. p.
410:, break into Newcastle United's
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246:. It is based on the 2000 novel
379:Tracy Whitwell – Clare McCarten
764:Newcastle United Football Club
719:The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
349:Chris Beattie – Gerry McCarten
1:
1037:Films directed by Mark Herman
1022:Films based on British novels
497:which overlooks the stadium.
1047:2000s English-language films
516:Encyclopedia of Sports Films
76:Chris Beattie, Greg McLane,
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169:3 November 2000
26:
798:Records & Statistics
465:is shown on the TV show
16:2000 film by Mark Herman
1042:Film4 Productions films
981:Newcastle United W.F.C.
679:Blame It on the Bellboy
561:The Rough Guide to Film
508:The Rough Guide to Film
142:Mumbo-Jumbo Productions
791:Reserves & Academy
447:Kerry Ann Christiansen
383:Kerry Ann Christiansen
86:Kerry Ann Christiansen
965:Tyne–Tees derby
960:Tyne–Wear derby
477:), they briefly meet
155:FilmFour Distributors
872:(Women and Reserves)
435:Whitley Bay Warriors
352:Greg McLane – Sewell
338:Newcastle United F.C
290:improve this section
138:FilmFour Productions
1052:2000s British films
543:, SIU Press, 2007,
388:Chris Wiper – Jimmy
334:Newcastle Upon-Tyne
838:Newcastle West End
833:Newcastle East End
657:Films directed by
471:Riverside pavilion
416:Angel of the North
235:for home games of
216:is a 2000 British
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501:Critical response
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67:Elizabeth Karlsen
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857:Home stadium
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288:Please help
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223:directed by
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185:Running time
162:Release date
99:Andy Collins
90:Jody Baldwin
907:Supporters
687:Brassed Off
659:Mark Herman
424:shoplifting
364:– Mr Sewell
225:Mark Herman
116:Ian Broudie
63:Produced by
53:Mark Herman
43:Mark Herman
39:Directed by
1012:2000 films
1006:Categories
527:References
495:towerblock
455:Sunderland
376:– Mr Caird
227:about two
221:drama film
189:99 minutes
173:2000-11-03
127:Production
49:Written by
953:Rivalries
443:Tim Healy
408:Gateshead
385:– Bridget
368:Tim Healy
277:does not
229:teenagers
129:companies
104:Edited by
78:Tim Healy
784:Managers
431:Roy Hudd
362:Roy Hudd
240:football
202:Language
112:Music by
73:Starring
944:The Mag
901:Culture
843:Seasons
824:History
805:Honours
777:Players
394:– Gemma
330:Geordie
298:removed
283:sources
205:English
194:Country
171: (
848:Europe
722:(2008)
714:(2003)
706:(2000)
698:(1998)
690:(1996)
682:(1992)
674:(1986)
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218:comedy
931:Goal!
911:NUISA
420:scrap
258:Title
242:team
916:NUST
622:IMDb
571:ISBN
545:p.97
514:The
399:Plot
344:Cast
281:any
279:cite
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