Say, what’s your all-time favorite British gangster movie? Chances are, one of Guy Ritchie’s reinventive crime films made in the past 20 years will be mentioned. In fact, the reason we ask is that Ritchie is set to return to his most hallowed ground this weekend with the release of The Gentlemen, his first British gangster outing in a dozen years.
Of course, it’s always important to contextualize. While Ritchie’s brand of British crime films has become popular over the past two decades, the subgenre did not begin with his work. Far from it. To give you an idea, here are the 10 Best British Gangster Films Of All time.
Performance (1970)
We begin with a wildly different spin on the British crime movie template. Made at the height of his rock star popularity, Mick Jagger brought a certain sensibility to the bohemian crime mash-up Performance, directed by Nicolas Roeg and Donald Cammell.
The loosely plotted picture concerns the exploits of a British gangster named Chas (James Fox), who seeks to evade his violent lifestyle by hiding out in the home of an ex-rock star, Mr. Turner (Jagger). Weird, wild and wicked!
Brighton Rock (1948)
Not to be confused with the 2010 remake of the same name, the 1948 original is one of the best early examples of what the British gangster film could achieve.
Adapted from the Graham Greene novel, the story concerns a small-time British hood named Pinkie Brown (the great Richard Attenborough) who gets in way over his head after he kills a journalist. The gang leader pleads with rivaling gangs, eludes police, tracks down witnesses, and tries desperately to cover up his crime.
Down Terrace (2009)
Ben Wheatley is one of the most exciting contemporary British filmmakers, and what he did to subvert the gangster genre in his 2009 film Down Terrace is a sight to behold.
Co-written with Wheatley by Robin Hill, the movie centers on a prominent crime syndicate hell-bent on uncovering the criminal informant that has infiltrated their family. What separates this movie from the pact, save for Ritchie’s films, is the caustic sense of humor that punctuates hyper-violent action sequences.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Speaking of the Guy, Ritchie found his voice in the raucous and riotous feature debut that put him on the Hollywood map back in 1998.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is an irreverent and highly violent spin on the British gangster film, in which a high-stakes card game determines the fate of several sordid criminals. A prized shotgun, a massive weed-growing operation and a gaggle of debtors become entangled in a hilarious web of gangster tropes and tenets.
Gangster N0. 1 (2000)
Told in stylistic retrospect, Paul McGuigan’s Gangster No. 1 is a unique take on the British gangster film. But it’s the stellar performances by Paul Bettany and heavyweights Malcolm McDowell and David Thewlis are what take it to the next level.
The film recounts how an unnamed young British hood rises to prominence as one of the most feared and respected gangsters in town. Starting out as a young boy up to no good, the gangster recollects the harrowing experiences that molded him into Gangster No. 1.
Layer Cake (2004)
Before he was flashing his abs as 007, Daniel Craig turned heads of a different kind in the superb British gangster film Layer Cake.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the film follows XXXX (Craig), a mafia-connected cocaine dealer who, on the eve of his early retirement, is tasked with two harrowing final assignments. Firstly, he must track down the spoiled-rich daughter of his boss’s old friend. Secondly, he must negotiate two million pounds of ecstasy from a ruthless Serbian mob.
Snatch (2000)
Let’s hope that Ritchie outdoes himself with The Gentlemen in the way he outdid Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels with Snatch. After all, Snatch has been widely considered to be Ritchie’s finest film to date.
With a bigger budget, better cast and more time to make a great product, Snatch proved that Ritchie was no flash in the pan, and that he could put a personal stamp on the British gangster subgenre unlike any other. The film about several sordid criminals vying for the possession of a valuable diamond is creative, exciting, and downright hilarious.
Sexy Beast (2000)
Those with a lasting image of Sir Ben Kingsley as the peaceable Gandhi needs to see Sexy Beast ASAP. You won’t believe your eyes.
In one of his funniest, most frightening and commanding turns to date, Kingsley plays Don Logan, a ruthless gangster with one final job to complete. When Logan hires supposedly retired colleague Gal (Ray Winstone) to help bust into a vault, unforeseen consequences threaten both of their lives. Jonathan Glazer directs the movie with the same brio and bravado found in Kingsley’s performance.
Get Carter (1971)
The less spoken about the listless Sly Stallone remake, the better. Instead, it’s only right we redirect your attention to Michael Caine in the classic British gangster flick Get Carter!
Directed by Mike Hodges, the 1971 crime thriller centers on Jack Carter (Caine), a London gangster who sets out to investigate the mysterious death of his brother following an auto accident. The sojourn takes Carter to Newcastle, where he consorts with a bevy of unsavory characters. As he traverses London’s seedy underworld, Carter experiences violent blitzes and double-crosses until he discovers the truth about his brother’s assassination.
The Long Good Friday (1980)
If Caine and Kingsley give must-see performances, then one cannot live without witnessing the work of Bob Hoskins in the supreme British gangster movie, The Long Good Friday.
In the John Mackenzie film, Hoskins plays Harold, a British gangster at the top of the criminal food chain. However, when a series of bombs destroy his properties, it becomes clear that someone is trying to push Harold out of the picture. In a gory path of vengeance, Harold sets out to discover who is behind the bombing campaign, and take back what is rightfully his. Shocking, scary, and sure to shake anyone the first time they see it.
