British Gangster Genre

By Sylvie Apps
Successful Films
Lock, Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels (1998)
Layer Cake
(2004)
St Georges Day
(2012)
Bugsy Malone
(1976)
Bonded By Blood
(2010)
Gangster No. 1
(2000)
The Krays
(1990)
Villain
(1971)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking
Barrels (1998)
This film is one of the most successful films in the British Gangster Genre and is very profitable. This film
is certificated 18 and is a combination of Crime, Gangster and Comedy.

This film is based around a rigged card game that takes place in London. This is what triggered four
friends, thugs, weed-growers, hard gangsters, loan sharks and debt collectors to collide with each other.
They do this in a series of unexpected events and it was all for weed, cash and two antique shotguns.

One of the reasons why this film is so popular and successful is because of its director. Guy Ritchie is a
very successful director and not only directed and wrote this film but many others too. For example,
another great success of a film in this genre is the film Snatch which was released in 2000.

The budget of this film was estimated to be around 960,000. In the opening weekend in the USA the
Box Office made $143,321. The total gross from the Box Office in the USA was $3,650,677.
Director Guy Ritchie

Writer Guy Ritchie

Run Time 107 Minutes

Release date 28
th
August 1998
This film is extremely influential as it was one of Ritchies first films in this genre and from this himself and other directors have been able to learn
from it. It is a classic film and the storyline is interesting. It is realistic to many people due to the plot, setting and props used in it. The film was
nominated for a British Academy Film Award in 1998 for the outstanding British Film of the Year. In 2000, Ritchie won an Edgar Award from the
Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. In 2004, Total Film named it the 38th greatest British film of all time.
Layer Cake (2004)
Director - Matthew Vaughn

Writer - J.J. Connolly

Run Time - 105 Minutes

Release Date - 1st October 2004



Text
This film is yet another huge British success. This film is rated 15
and is a Crime/Thriller. However, many people also see it as a film which
falls perfectly into the Gangster genre.

This film is about a successful cocaine dealer who gets two tough tasks from
his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement. This involves 2 million pounds worth
of Grade A Ecstasy. The title Layer Cake refers to the levels (layers) anyone in a
business goes through in order to reach the top.

Referring to the Box Office the Budget of this film was estimated to be around
4,000,000. In the opening weekend of the UK of 3rd of October 2004 the box office
made 1,090,561and had 355 screens. The total gross by the 31st October 2004 was
4,287,343. This shows that the film in just the UK alone and in such little time was a
huge success and made a lot of money.
This film is a huge influence to many people, film directors etc. Matthew Vaughn won Best Director for this film in the
Empire Awards (2005). This proves that this film was well constructed and had a good storyline. It is slightly different to
other British Gangster films as it is very fast paced.
Conventions Of British Gangster Films
In most British Gangster films the setting is mainly in outside areas. Whether thats on the
streets of a small town or in a inner city (depending on where in Britain it is filmed), parks and
other various outside areas. Also, they shoot inside for particular scenes. Usually, these
interior places have very dark lighting so it creates a tense effect on the audience as they are
in such confined places. This can range from being filmed in small pubs, warehouses and
peoples flats or houses.






The costumes that the characters wear are different to something you would see in an American
gangster film. In American gangster films you would typically see a lot of men wearing suits as it runs
closely alongside the Mafia. However, in British gangster films you would usually see a lot of crook like
clothing and fewer people in suits. Depending on where the film is being shot, characters could be
wearing smart clothes (e.g. shirts/polo shirts) to show a sense of importance and authority. Also, you
could see stereotypically more chavy costumes such as, joggers, big jewellery, hoodies etc. These
types of costumes are used so that they look intimidating to people.
Layer Cake (2004)
Adulthood (2008)
Conventions Of British Gangster Films
In reference to Mise en Scene the colours in British gangster films are often very dark. For
example grey, black and white are commonly used. Also, low level lighting is commonly used
in this genre to create tension and a sense of danger in the film.

Make up is also commonly used in British gangster films. This is usually theatrical make up
such as blood, scars and cuts.

Also, many different props are used throughout a British Gangster film. This is usually because
the film is some how based around the props that the characters are using. For example, guns,
large sums of cash, drugs, cigarettes and other weapons are used in the films. This creates a
sense of realism to what is going on in the film which will also excite the viewer. Also, the
characters use particular props to show off how much money they have.








The Krays (1990)t
Snatch (2000)
Main Conventions Of British Gangster
Film Openings
In my previous research of the conventions of a gangster film i analysed 5 British gangster film openings. Throughout all the openings there was
a lot of low level lighting and dark colours. This was especially shown in Bugsy Malone.
The openings were very fast paced. For example Snatch had a lot of fast paced non - diegetic music. Also, at the same time each shot was
changing very quickly. They fit in a lot of video footage in the first 2 minutes and a lot of characters were introduced. The openings were fast
paced to fit in with the gangster genre and to get the feeling of the criminals as they have to move and do things very quickly in order not to get
caught.
There were many different shot types used. However, the most common were close ups, long shots and establishing shots. The close ups were
used to introduce the characters and so the audience gets an idea of what the character is about. Establishing shots are used to set the scene (
time and place) .
In British gangster film openings there seemed to be a lot of editing. For example, in snatch there was rotating images and freeze frames which
changed colour. Also, in Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels there was the use of slow motion to show the audience specific detail and what
was happening so it was clear to them.
The non - diegetic music throughout the openings were quite loud and fast paced. There was some diegetic sounds such as footsteps in Bugsy
Malone. However, usually in the opening theres more non - diegetic sounds. In the openings i watched there was quite a few voice overs to
introduce the story.
The setting was mainly in outside urban areas. Also, there were a lot of props used such as guns , money, jewellery, briefcases etc. The
characters were mainly wearing smart clothing and big jackets to make them seem like a bold, intimidating character.