Reviews

Michael is corrupt London CID Detective who runs a unit of equally bent Drug Squad officers. He is effectively a 'gangster with a badge', snorting cocaine seized in violent nightclub raids and with a growing underworld racket of his own. Investing a large sum into a prosperous drug smuggling operation, run by some Turkish criminals of whom Michael 'guarantees protection' to, the racket is moved-in on by a group of sadistic Albanian villains who take out Michael's Turkish associates, leaving him high and dry in the process. As Michael craftily uses his police powers to investigate the Albanian gang, he discovers their empire includes Human Trafficking.

Michael's professional life becomes more and more complex, as he puts his resources into figuring out how to deal with the Albanians rather than investigating Drugs crimes, and in doing so he comes back into contact with a former adversary Detective Knight, who is officially in charge of the Human Trafficking investigation. Into the mix, Detective Inspector Taylor, an unrelenting officer has been placed by the internal affairs department to investigate Michael's activities for possible corruption. As Michael delves into the world of the Albanian criminals he meets Ariana, a young woman held captive by the gang and he rescues her, hiding her away at his girlfriend's house – an act of morality which ironically leads towards his own downfall.

"Hyena" is a great piece of cinema, handling the darker side of the London underworld and corrupt police units with a certain artistic style and atmosphere which feels fresh, while retaining an authenticity and grimness needed to keep the balance. It is though a remarkably violent film and certain scenes are too unpleasant to watch, but nevertheless "Hyena" is a tour de force of contemporary British cinema with a flare to offend, a pace to keep you watching, and a story to make you think.

Following the journey of Dee, a working-class youth who drifts from his roots in pursuit of an art career but who is intrinsically influenced by older brother Marcus, a professional armed-robber and aspiring gangster. Dee is a young man with many guises; motorbike courier by day, law-breaking graffiti artist by night, and side-line face London's trendy fashionista circuit thanks to his new girlfriend who is a model. It's a far cry from his family back home on a North London council estate who are entrenched second generation armed-robbers. Marcus leads a tight clique of 'smash and grab' blaggers (the robbery format which has in fact gone near epidemic in London these days), brazenly heisting London's top-end jewellery stores in motorbike raids, and he is managing to do this below the radar of the Flying Squad by keeping his boys and their accessory-to-crime girlfriends in check with the long established criminal codes.

As the social gap between Dee and Marcus widens, the story focuses on the brotherly love between them and the unspoken loyalty that goes with the criminal upbringing they have. Dee begins mixing with some influential art-dealers who like his anarchist style graffiti and anti-establishment attitude, while at the same time Marcus, who's robberies are now all too frequently making the nine-o'clock news, decides to stay one step ahead and moves into the drugs trade after convincing his boys to pool together their ill-gotten gains. Allying himself with some big time London gangsters and getting too confident in the underworld lifestyle of fast cash and flash nightclubs, he finds himself in an all-out, deadly violent, gang-war with a rival crew of drug dealers from the next neighbourhood over territory and 'ownership' of women. Dee loyally returns to North London in the middle of the violence to try and salvage what's left of his family but before he can make sense of it all, is pulled deep into Marcus' next job (a crime which in real life was Britain's largest ever jewel robbery).

"Anti-Social" recreates in acute detail several of the most highly publicised armed-robberies to have taken place in London in recent years, as Marcus' crew carry out their motorbike raids through shopping centres and have shoot-outs on the West End streets, including the infamous robbery at Selfridges when the robbers disguised themselves as women in Burkas. The film is an uncompromising drama which carefully combines the underworld with commentary on modern London life, and is something of a rite-of-passage story for Dee, the boy from the wrong side of tracks who wants to move to a better future. It contains an array of gritty, brilliantly mounted action sequences, some of which are reminiscent of a Michael Mann film which get the heart pounding, and there are moments of sheer brutality straight after scenes of everyday life, which unsettles but contributes to the sense of realism as the viewer is took on a journey into an unpredictable environment. Thankfully devoid of the usual hard-man, geezer clichés all too common in the Brit gangster sub-genre, the characters are on-the-surface normal guys who do extreme things in a parallel underbelly-society.

Set in a small northern town in 1983 the story follows Shaun, a 13 year old loner who falls in with the local gang of Skinheads, led by warm-hearted Woody. Aside from the unrealistic anti-Falklands sentiment among some of the characters, namely Combo (I don't recall anyone back in 1982 being against the war – except a few Labour MPs – and only several regiments of professional soldiers went to the Falklands not droves of conscripts as the film implies, also it was over in 3 months so had long finished before the film's time line begins) aside from that, the film is brilliant and perfectly captures the essence of youth, disaffected youth, group bonding, and growing up in the early 80s, devoid of any typical TV drama nostalgia getting in the way. It's gritty and realistic in the best form, and director Shane Meadows manages beautifully to inter-lace this with several stylised moments without spoiling the overall tone of social-realism.

Loner as Shaun may be, he is also full of courage and spirit beyond his years, and quickly becomes a popular member of the varied bunch of Skins. But when Combo, a much older Skinhead and a violent, psychotic, racist, returns to the town after a 3 year prison term, everything changes for Woody, Shaun and the group. Dividing the gang on racial and political lines, half of the lads and lassies stick to their morals and remain with Woody – while the rest, including Shaun, join Combo and a his racist sidekick Banjo.

The complexities of Shaun's decision to join the racist faction of the town's Skinhead scene, is probably be best explained as a post-traumatic reaction to the loss of his father. Having been a soldier, Shaun's father is killed in action during the Falklands war, and so as the film begins so too does Shaun's grief and suffering as he struggles to make sense of the world. Combo and his faction offer Shaun a tougher, more male orientated existence and one which thrives on acts of aggression and violence. It is this environment and behaviour which Shaun needs to help him cope with the grief and the absence of a strong paternal figure. As the story reaches its climax, Shaun reaches his own conclusion about the life around him.

An excellent, well written, brilliantly directed and acted, social drama. Highly recommended.

Two cousins, Ray and Mickey, are the joint bosses of one of London's largest, home-grown, criminal empires. Whilst Ray is more focused on his now respectable appearance, with golf-club memberships and the like, Mickey keeps his eye on the street. In the knowledge that times are changing, the old-school gangsters are keen to keep a tight rein on their henchmen and lieutenants. Then when a deal gone wrong with an East European criminal organisation culminates with a mass shooting in South London, Mickey and Ray conclude that the only way to put things right will be to commit a diamond robbery – ripping off another criminal group – in Europe. Going onto the continent to carry out the crime, they ingeniously use an England v Germany football match as cover, and so travel with a large group of football hooligans, led by Mickey's older brother (an ageing thug). However, unknown to them until it's too late, one of the hooligans is posting messages on the internet in order to provoke mass fights with the German hooligan gangs – bringing Mickey, Ray and their robbers, into direct police attention. All the while, they are being tracked by a die-hard London Police Detective, intent on bringing Mickey and Ray down. But then into the chaotic mix, prior to pulling off the diamond heist, it becomes apparent that one of the gang is an informer… "Saint George's Day" is an ambitious, British crime thriller which fuses football hooliganism with gangsterism – although as separate entities rather than as one extended concept. There are many contemporary themes within the story, to its merit, and for the most part it succeeds in bringing these to life in an entertaining way – but it is hampered by an unnecessarily drawn-out attempt at character study of the two leads, by several recurring and tiresome clichés and with its questionable depiction of the London underworld.

The inspiration for the Canadian film "Dog Pound", it was made in 1977 as a television drama but was promptly banned due to its content – two years later director Alan Clarke re-made the film for cinema. In my opinion the cinema film "Scum" (1979) is far superior to the 1977 original. The vast majority of the cast are the same, and except for several scenes, the reduction of several sub-plots (such as the character Rhodes, who appears in the 1979 version but is never named), and for the opening sequence, the story and characters are otherwise the same.

The story follows the journey of three inmates in a Borstal (a young offenders prison). Carlin, the principal character, has been transferred from another Borstal for allegedly assaulting an officer. Davis has been transferred from a more relaxed Borstal for attempting to escape, and Angel has arrived fresh from being on remand at Wormwood Scrubs (a prison in West London).

The borstal is controlled by a harsh, unyielding discipline meted out by the unrelenting cruelty of the officers – who randomly beat and brutalise the young inmates – and by the viciousness and savagery of the inmate 'Daddy' cliques who run the underbelly of each cell-block.

With his reputation of being a rebel against authority and a fighter preceding him, Carlin is singled out and soon has no option but to fight the 'daddies' and use his cunning to outwit the officers intent on victimising him. When Carlin emerges as the new 'Daddy' of his cell-block, the bullying suffered by Davis and the racial attacks suffered by Angel subside. As their journeys continue, alongside the journeys of several other inmates picked-up as the story progresses (such as Archer, Toyne, Meekin), the narrative focuses on the conflict between the individual and the system; how the identities of the inmates become eroded – how some adapt in order to survive the system and how others capitulate. "Scum" is an extremely violent and disturbing film which displays a no-holds barred sense of brutality and realism. Climaxing with a full-scale riot as the inmates explode and rise up against the oppression of the regime, the final question posed is whether or not the system can be beaten.

The life-story (so far) of infamous West Ham United football hooligan, Carlton Leech. Starting in the 1970s, young Carlton joins the ICF hooligan gang and as the years pass into the early 1980s becomes a leading figure in the organised mob of East London thugs – taking on football gangs from around London and across the country, making a name for himself as a fearless street-fighter and gang-leader. Working as night club bouncer in some of East London's roughest venues, Carlton has the foresight and skills to organise security firms as the Acid House and Rave era dawns over the UK – and in the process, whilst his marriage suffers, he makes more contacts and a lot of money. Controlling the drug traffic through the doors of the venues, with a small army of ex-hooligans turned bouncers, the error of a couple of his men land him and his organisation in a war with the London Turkish Mafia. Coming through the other side, littered with casualties, Carlton enters the 1990s with over a decade of blood on his hands, a wealth of underworld experience – and a reputation to be feared and respected. But the 1990s bring a new era of Essex based criminals and new way of doing things.

Partnering up with Tony Tucker, an Essex playboy gangster, Carlton finds himself amongst the wild, brash criminal circles of the richer suburban towns outside London and on the edge of one of the most shadowy and suspicious criminal conspiracies of modern British gangland lore – the Range Rover Murders.

"Rise of the Footsoldier" is a fantastic Brit gangland film which achieves not only in telling the story of the connection between football hooliganism and organised crime, but does so with both speed and detail. The early sequences of mass hooligan fights through the 70s and 80s is nothing short of brilliant and is by far the best portrayal of any films in the genre. The Acid House and rave era is depicted with style and energy, whilst remaining faithful to telling Carlton's story, and we never lose sight of the journey he makes as a character – and as Carlton and his boys move into paid-for-violence debt collecting and eventually into gang war against the Turkish group, again the pacing, deft direction of the action and the drama of Carlton's life are perfectly balanced, making the film not only one that is gripping but also a fully engaging experience, which any movie lover will appreciate. The only issue with the film is that the final chapter, the 'Essex boys' part of his story, feels detached from the rest of the film. It is essentially Act 4. Carlton is reduced to a minor player and so the final part of the film focuses on three new characters backed-up by three new supporting characters – it is their story, of which Carlton makes only fleeting appearances. That said, this aspect will not bother some viewers in the slightest and "Rise of the Footsoldier" remains an excellent film which must be watched.

In the late 1960s, career criminal John McVicar, is serving a 23 year prison sentence – he'd robbed a bank and fired at Police officers during his getaway (shooting the siren-light from the top of the police-car). Listed as a dangerous criminal who would not hesitate to kill, after attempting a prison-break at HMP Chelmsford, he is transferred from the South of England to the maximum security wing of HMP Durham, in the far North of the country. Housed in the jail are the cream of London's underworld; top ranking gangsters (such as Charlie Richardson, named Ronnie Harrison in the film), bank-robbers and various high-profile criminals – not least to mention several murderers and child-killers, the latter with whom the rest of the convicts are in complete disgust and who are ostracised.

In a perpetual state of conflict against the screws and the system, the convicts stage a revolt and take-over the prison wing until their demands for a less-regimented regime is imposed – that is, a more relaxed rule book on the wing as it accommodates prisoners serving life terms. As the dust settles in the aftermath of the riot, and after having served their subsequent punishments for the take-over, the convicts' demands are more or less met and the wing – whilst still under maximum security – is transformed into a place where the cons can weight-train freely and have extended socialisation periods. With only seven convicts on the wing – the others having been transferred to other jails after the riot – and the wing being isolated from the rest of HMP Durham (effectively a prison within a prison), John and fellow convict Wally Probyn plan a daring and meticulous break-out with the assistance of the rest of the inmates.

Painstakingly constructing a tunnel, under the noses of the screws, leading below the shower-room, eventually into the basement of an adjacent wing, then out into a yard and finally up onto the prison's roof - John and Wally made history with the UK's most infamous prison-break of all time. Negotiating barbed-wire and prison walls as they run for their lives chased by screws with dogs, Wally is captured but John escapes.

With a massive Police man-hunt bearing down on him, John manages to evade his hunters in a nighttime cross-country 'escape sequence' which will have viewers on edge of their seats. Making it back down to London with the help of two associates who drive-up North to collect him, he is reunited with his family and has to adapt to a life on the run as the country's most wanted man. Hidding out in the big city with plans to flee abroad John is in need of money and promptly reverts to his trade of armed-robbery with the old gang.

Among many powerful moments, "McVicar" contains one of the finest ever bank robberies committed to celluloid by a British production and arguably one of the coolest opening title-sequences, with accompanying soundtrack by The Who. The film is riddled with four-letter words and aggressive overtones, but it is remarkably nonviolent. The violence, when it comes, is staged maturely and realistically and is always within context. The environment of the film is certainly a tough, macho one, but "McVicar" is a grown-up film which works on many levels – notably the relationship with his wife and child, and the contrast between his friendships with fellow convicts in jail and with his criminal associates on the outside. It's a pity that contemporary British crime dramas no-longer live up to the fine standards of films like this. "McVicar" combines a real story, with genuine high-energy drama, excellent screenplay, strong performances, and it doesn't rely on comedic-caricatures, unnecessary violence or unbelievable sub-plots.