Everyone loves an underdog, and the British gangster film has fittingly earned that moniker, especially when compared to thecrime genreas a whole. After all, there aren’t any UK equivalents toGoodfellasorThe Godfather. Still, British gangster movies occupy an important space in cinema, having introduced audiences to a number of memorable characters, classic lines of dialogue, and over-the-top action scenes over the years. What these movies lack in box office success or award show accolades, they make up for in cultural significance and a wildly fun-filled viewing experience.
Everyone has their own subjective list when it comes to their favorite gangster flicks from the other side of the pond, but a quick look through Rotten Tomatoes shows what the critics largely consider to be at the top of the heap. Here are the 10 best British gangster films, according to the tried-and-true Tomatometer.
10Performance (1970) - 83%
Performanceinjects brutal violence into the late ’60s counterculture cocktail of sex, drugs, and rock & roll. The gritty crime drama stars James Fox as a London gangster who embraces a more Bohemian lifestyle when he hides out in the home of a reclusive rock star, played by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. Production onPerformancewrapped in 1968, though Warner Bros. waited until 1970 to release the film due to concerns over its explicit content.
What Makes It Great
Performance’s cinematic impact was largely retrospective, as its graphic depictions of sex, drug use, and violence were considered taboo at the time of its release. The film’s dark and psychedelic aspects would go on to influence several boundary-pushing directors of the 1990s, including Guy Ritchie, who made his own mark on the British gangster film genre withLock, Stock & Two Smoking BarrelsandSnatch, and Quentin Tarantino,who calledPerformance"one of the best rock movies of all time."
Receiving a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Film Editing,Performancewas voted the 48th greatest British film of the 20th century by the British Film Institute in 1999. For its 2008 list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, Empire gavePerformancethe182nd spot.
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9In Bruges (2008) - 85%
Despite being filmed in Belgium and starring Irish actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson,In Brugesis decidedly a British gangster film – writer/director Martin McDonagh, though Irish in heritage, was born and raised in London, and the film saw great success on the British indie circuit. Farrell and Gleeson play two London-based hitmen hiding out in Bruges after a job gone wrong. Loyalties are tested when the duo’s hot-headed boss (played by two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) decides to throw a violent wrench into the Euro trip.
McDonagh is a master at penning darkly comedic dialogue, andIn Brugesis a textbook example of his prowess on that front. For his skilled blending of the comedy and thriller genres, McDonagh earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.
While Farrell and Gleeson both received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, with Farrell winning the award,Fiennes also boasts a masterful performanceand is responsible for one of the best putdowns in movie history (“You’re an inanimate f**king object!").In Brugeswas also nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
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8Down Terrace (2009) - 86%
Shot in only eight days on a budget of $30,000,Down Terraceis probably the least conventional entry on this list. The first feature film from Ben Wheatley features a cast of relative unknowns in a darkly comedic take on a crime family that seeks to weed out a police informant in its midst. Paranoia, betrayal, and violence ensue.
While it only raked in just under $10,000 at the box office,Down Terracewas praised by critics for its dark humor, unique style, and solid performances. Premiering at the 2009 Fantastic Fest, it won the Next Wave Awards for Best Feature and Best Screenplay, as well as the Raindance Award at the British Independence Film Awards.
Wheatley proved himself as a director with incredible potential, winning the Most Promising Newcomer at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. He would later go on to receive widespread acclaim for his filmsKill List, Sightseers,A Field in England,and Free Fire.
7Sexy Beast (2000) - 86%
With 139 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes toDown Terrace’s 86,Sexy Beastslightly edges out the 2009 film, and like Ben Wheatley, director Jonathan Glazer made his feature film directorial debut with this British gangster film entry. Ben Kingsley is leaps and bounds removed from the Gandhi he played in Richard Attenborough’s 1982 film as the sociopathic gangster Don Logan, who rudely interrupts retired criminal Gal’s (Ray Winstone) Spanish vacation to recruit him for a bank robbery.
A moderate box office success (grossing $10.2 million on a budget of $4.3 million),Sexy Beasttruly shines thanks to the performances of its actors,particularly Kingsley. The Academy Award winner received acting awards from nearly a dozen different organizations, including the British Independent Film Awards and the Satellite Awards. He was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar.
As it turns out, Kingsley didn’t have to do all that much research for his explosive and sinister role. He once claimed that the character of Don Logan was based largely on his grandmother, whom he called “a vile and extremely unpleasant woman.”
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6Get Carter (1971) - 87%
Based on the 1970 Ted Lewis novelJack Returns Home,Get Carterstars Michael Caine as a London gangster named Jack Carter who returns to his hometown in Northeast England only to discover that his brother has died. The cause of death given is a drunk-driving accident, but Carter knows better, and what follows is a masterclass in no-nonsense vengeance, pulled off brilliantly by a steely-eyed Caine.
While it was a moderate box office success and received a BAFTA Awards nomination for Ian Hendry as Best Supporting Actor for his role as the villainous Eric Paice,Get Carterpredominantly received its critical accolades years later. Around the time of its release, many critics called out the film for its excessive violence and Carter’s apparent callousness and inconsistent motivations.
Retrospectively,Get Carteris considered to be a masterpiece. Critics have since praised Caine for his performance as the menacing anti-hero, while also lauding the bleak tone as being consistent with its subject matter. Boasting top honors in a number of major British film lists,Get Carteris considered to be a blueprint for the modern British gangster film. In a 1999article for The Guardian, Tom Cox wrote thatGet Carter was a major influence on many of the movies that came after it, includingThe Long Good Friday,The Limey,and Lock, StockandTwo Smoking Barrels.
5Eastern Promises (2007) - 89%
Eastern Promises
The Russian Mafia rules London in David Cronenberg’s 2007 filmEastern Promises.After a drug-addicted 14-year-old girl trafficked by gangsters dies during childbirth, a midwife named Anna (played by Naomi Watts) tracks down the girl’s family in order to find a home for the baby. This leads her deeper into the crime-ridden underworld, where she faces off against the head gangster (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and his henchman (Viggo Mortensen).
Featured on a number of top ten lists of the best films of 2007,Eastern Promiseswas a widespread critical success, with movie experts praising Cronenberg for his handling of difficult subjects like sex trafficking and mafia-related violence. Mortensen was also praised for his role as Nikolai Luzhin, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Mortensenconducted considerable researchfor his role as the Russian gangster, reading through various books, watching documentaries, and even consulting actual Russian mobsters just to make sure he got his character’s tattoos right.
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4Brighton Rock (1948) - 95%
Based on the 1938 Graham Greene novel,Brighton Rock(retitledYoung Scarfacefor American audiences) stars Richard Attenborough as a gang leader named Pinkie Brown, who murders a journalist in an apparent revenge killing over the death of a fellow gang member. This pits him against the police and a rival gang in his quest to cover up his crime. Attenborough, who would go on to have a prolific acting and directing career, reprised his West End role of three years earlier for the film.
Compared to the British gangster films of today,Brighton Rockmay seem relatively tame, but at the time, it was criticized for its depictions of violence, and was even banned in New South Wales. Despite these early criticisms, the film did relatively well at the UK box office, but its lasting impact was seen through retrospective reviews.
Praised for its film noir elements, the gritty cinematography (hidden cameras captured actual Brighton residents), and Attenborough’s performance,Brighton Rockplaced 15th on the British Film Institute’s 1999 audience survey of the top 100 British films.
3The Long Good Friday (1980) - 97%
The Long Good Friday
Bob Hoskins had his breakout role inThe Long Good Fridayas a gangster named Harold Shand trying to go legit as a business mogul by proposing to turn the London Docklands into a venue for the London Olympic Games. Naturally, this plan goes awry thanks to violent interference by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, leaving Harold to get to the bottom of the deception.Helen Mirren co-starsas Harold’s girlfriend and business partner, Victoria, while a young Pierce Bronson makes his big-screen debut as an IRA assassin.
Most known for its iconic final scene,The Long Good Fridayis largely carried by the performance of Hoskins, who plays a character imbued with almost Shakespearean levels of hubris. The Academy Award nominee was honored with the Best Actor award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards, and also received a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the British Academy Film Awards.
Hoskins’s performance, along with the compelling script packed with twists and turns, earnedThe Long Good Fridayprime placement in a number of major British film lists, including number 21 on the British Film Institute’s list of the top 100 British films list and number 19 on Empire’s 100 Best British Films list.
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2Mona Lisa (1986) - 98%
Bob Hoskins boasts back-to-back entries on this list for good reason. InMona Lisa,he plays George, a Bloody Mary-drinking ex-convict who tries to get back on his feet by serving as the driver and bodyguard for a high-class call-girl named Simone (Cathy Tyson). Conflict sets in when Hoskins tries balancing his feelings for Simone with the demands of his job, while also trying to reconcile with his daughter and keep his demanding boss (Michael Caine) at bay.
Despite its gritty subject matter,The Long Good Fridaypossesses a large amount of comedic charm and romantic sentimentality that sets it apart from most British gangster films. Hoskins, who shines as the deeply-flawed-yet-well-intentioned George, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, while walking away with Best Actor honors at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes. Tyson also garnered BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, and won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress.
1The Ladykillers (1955) - 100%
The Ladykillersfollows a group of cartoonish, bank robbery-planning criminals led byAlec Guinnesswho pose as a string quartet while hiding out in the home of an unsuspecting octogenarian widow (Katie Johnson). Also starring Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom (who would go on to appear in fivePink Pantherfilms together), the 1955 black comedy was remade by the Coen brothers in 2004.
The Ladykillersenjoys a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score (based on 32 reviews) thanks to its hilarious performances and madcap script filled with quirky characters. The film took home two wins at the British Academy Film Awards – Best British Actress (Johnson) and Best British Screenplay (William Rose).
As it turns out, the film’s impact extends far beyond the world of just British cinema. Total Film readers voted the Alexander Mackendrick-directed movie as the 36th greatest comedy film of all time in 2000, and 10 years later, The Guardian named it the fifth-greatest comedy ever made.
