British Gangster Movies

Hey all, just thought I'd start a thread for general discussion on any British Gangster films (Snatch, Layer Cake, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels etc) obviously Eastern Promises doesn't count as a British gangster film even though it was set (and shot in and around) London

My personal favourites are Snatch, Get Carter (1971 version not the 2000 one), Layer Cake, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

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My personal faves are:
Long Good Friday
Layer Cake
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Get Carter

What did you think of the ending of Layer Cake?

Loved it..
Layer Cake made me like Daniel Craig... I just love the character of "X".. Now that I think about it. I would love to see a sequel.

Yeah but I wonder who the sequel would follow; the thing I liked about it was its sort of originality (ok drugs is never an original topic in movies) but I liked it cos it was kind of different and that would probably be lost in a sequel because its been done already.

The Krays

I am sure they would find a way...

'British gangster movies' is one of my most hated genres, especially in the 90s and 00s. Lock, Stock caused such a slew of absolutely dreadful movies that thought themselves badass because they glorified the scum of the London underworld. Even EastEnders was a bad British gangster movie for a while.

I hate most of them, but there are a few really good ones amongst the dross, from Brighton Rock to The Long Good Friday to Sexy Beast.

Sorry, how do I hide spoilers in a post?

Click on new reply below & then click on a red exclamation mark.

Nice topic. favourites of mine are

The Long Good Friday
Mona Lisa
The Italian Job

The Ealing crime comedies:
The Lavender Hill Mob
The Ladykillers
Kind Hearts and Coronets

Bullet Boy
Sexy Beast
Brighton Rock
Get Carter
Gumshoe
In Bruges
The Sweeney films
The Bank Job

Some of my favorites...


Get Carter
Brighton Rock
The Long Good Friday
Mona Lisa
The Hit
Sexy Beast
In Bruges
Layer Cake

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In Bruges, how could I have left that out....

Haven't seen many from Christine's list.

If I'd counted the Ealing crime comedies as being part of the genre, they'd make me like the genre more. I particularly love Kind Hearts and Coronets.

And if you want to tweak the term to include not just movies made by Brits but a film that is about a (former) British Gangster, I love Soderbergh's The Limey (1999) starring the immortal Terence Stamp.

Am I the only person that didn't like Layer Cake?

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No. I liked Sally Hawkins but practically nothing else about what I found an undercooked movie with a labored plot and very little life.

I didn't like Layer Cake much either. There's quite a few of the post Lock Stock films which left me cold, although I quite like Lock Stock itself.

Holden, good call on The Limey, I like that too

If we slide a little into crime rather than gangster, London To Brighton was a fine low budget film worth seeking out. Dirty Pretty Things is also worth seeing for the dark underworld of illegal immigrant exploitation.

Which ones have you seen Gen? There's several that would be worth you looking for