British Gangster Flicks

In 1998 Guy Richie's first full-length feature, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels added a hip soundtrack and Hong Kong-style camera work to the traditional heist movie and ushered in a new era of fast-paced, tightly-plotted, darkly funny British Gangster Flicks.  Anthony Lane hated it, Tom Cruise loved it.  I'm hard pressed to think of another subject where I'd side with Cruise over Lane, but there's a first time for everything.  (Ray Pride had a more nuanced view: "I hated it, outright hated it, for about fifteen minutes," before being won over by its charms.)

Two years later Richie joined the wave of Guy Richie imitators with Snatch.  It wasn't quite as solid as "Lock, Stock...," but thanks to Brad Pitt and a fatter marketing budget, it made a bigger splash and turned Richie into Mr. Madonna.  But rather than being content with doing one thing superlatively well (a la Peckinpah), Richie decided to broaden his horizons as an artist.  I wish him the best with that, really, but...  Well, thanks for the memories, Guy.  (Yes, I know he's still making thrillers, but it doesn't seem as though his heart's in it anymore.  That's what Art will do to you.)

So what else is out there for the BGF aficionado?

Two great ones I've seen:

• Layer Cake (2004): Directed by Matthew Vaughan, who produced "Lock, Stock..." and "Snatch" and starring Daniel Craig, coming soon to a megaplex near you as the new James Bond.  Darker and less frenetic than Richie's own work, it's still firmly in the same vein.
• Sexy Beast (2000): Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, and Ian McShane in what's probably the best film discussed here.  A little disquisition on mortality, regret, and whether you can ever escape your past.

And a whole lot more I haven't:

• Brannigan (1975): John Wayne is a Chicago cop sent to London to extradite an American mobster.  Made by the Brits, but mid-'70s Wayne is not my favorite vintage.  Low expectations.
• Brighton Rock (1947): Based on a Graham Greene novel (he also wrote the screenplay) and starring a young Richard Attenborough.
• Circus (2000): Great cast--John Hannah, Famke Janssen, Peter Stormare, Eddie Izzard--but reviews were mixed.
• Get Carter (1971): Michael Caine at his bad-ass best.  Probably heavier and more serious.  (Let's just ignore the Stallone remake, OK?)
• Honest (2000): Set in the late '60s, this vehicle for members of All Saints (think Spice Girls with street cred) was reputedly terrible.  For addicts only.
• Janice Beard 45WPM (1999): Not really a BGF, but some industrial espionage spices up this office romance/crime caper flick.
• The Krays (1990): A true-life account of twin crimelords in the swinging '60s.  Highly touted at the time, it sounds as though it hasn't aged all that well.
• The Lavender Hill Mob (1951): Alec Guinness is a shy, scheming bank clerk who sets this comic heist in motion.  A remake is in production.
• The Long Good Friday (1980): Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren.  Very highly regarded straightforward Brit mob thriller.
• Love, Honour and Obey (2000): Can't decide whether it's in the lighthearted "Lock, Stock..." mode or something much heavier.  Sounds like a shame because the fantastic Ray Winstone plays the boss--but the dreary Jude Law plays the lead, and perhaps therein lies the problem.
• Rancid Aluminium (2000): Either a misunderstood parody, or total crap.  Rhys Ifans and Joseph Fiennes in the leads, along with BGF vet Sadie Frost.
• Villain (1971): Richard Burton (!) is a gay Cockney gangster.
• You're Dead (1999): Regularly compared to "Lock, Stock..." but it's hard to see John Hurt pulling it off.  I'll reserve judgment.

tags: british gangster flicks guy richie

Comments

[Stewart]

Wow you missed the daddy of them all; The Italian Job...

[Ed]

Good call. A commenter on IMDB says, "There is much to admire about 'The Italian Job.' It's an amusing crime caper, a family version of 'Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels,' which has plenty to involve young and old. It also harks back to a time when it was great to be British - we had won the World Cup, we had the Beatles and the Rolling Stones blazing a new trail throughout the world. We had flower power and the summer of Love. Watching this film, it is impossible for any Englishman to not feel his blood pumping in patriotic fervour."

I've only seen the 2003 remake, which is good-but-not-great. The modern Minis kick ass, Charlize Theron is drop-dead gorgeous, and Ed Norton makes any movie better. But that's about it. Sounds like a pale imitation of the original.

[Stewart]

It's a British tradition :)

The remake is poor in comparison...