Proc?

This very interesting docu-drama was based on a true incident in 1985, where fans of the Czechoslovakian side Sparta Prague ran amok on a train after a match. It was commissioned by the authorities in Czechoslovakia, but apparently spawned copycat behaviour in the period after it's release.

Though as Theo Roberstson in an earlier post calls the protagonists 'boy scouts' compared to the Liverpool fans at Heysel, one must realise that their behaviour was rightly deemed totally unacceptable in an authoritarian communist society. I myself have been on a train with a large number of drunk and loud fans of a certain London club, and even though nothing was broken and nobody was attacked, it was a terrifying experience for many of the passengers. 'Proc?' accurately captures the wild adrenaline fuelled excesses of the fans and the fear of the travellers. If like me, you've been stuck on a train with a bunch of hyped up football fans, this film will bring back bad memories.

Theo must also be reminded that though he claims hooliganism is an 'English' problem, he forgets that the Scots have a long history of crowd disorder, such as Glasgow Rangers rioting after their 1972 Cup-Winners Cup victory, and the infamous wrecking of Wembley pitch by Scottish fans in the 1970's. I feel that Theo has spent more time attacking the English than actually reviewing the film!.

'Proc?' does a far better job of looking at the problem of football hooliganism than movies such as Alan Clarke's 'The Firm' , as rather than concentrating on the violence between rival fans as Clarke does, Karel Smyczek focuses on the effect the fans behaviour has on the public. It's a pity this movie does not seem to be available on VHS or DVD.