Shifty - This is a film embodies the new Crime genre in Britain on a low budget film brilliantly as it is not attempting to be something it isn't. This film shows the transition of British Crime, particularly in the early 2000s as this is when this culture started to become more mainstream as seen with any culture once it starts to be mirrored in film.
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - A Guy Ritchie directed film shows the Geezer archetypal characters which the British are more well known for. This film focuses on the cockney culture which is often portrayed in film, this was one of the first of this type to become a cult classic. This is the stage before Shifty demonstrating the another side to British urban crime which may be slowly dying out and losing relevance as the new culture among the youth in Britain is only recently becoming majorly popular in music and clothing, meaning possibly soon in film too.
Trance - This is a Danny Boyle directed film meaning it will have elements of British realism however this is very different from other British Crime as it takes on an almost spiritual storyline mixed with violence and a hazy mood. This is the opposite to Shift and Lock Stock where grittiness and the urban mise en scene is vital, most of Trance takes place in a home. This demonstrates the more experimental side of British Crime suggesting audiences do enjoy a complete change in style to common urban crime no matter which form of British culture it comes from.
These 3 films are the ones I will be focusing on during my research into the Transition of British Crime as I believe they show a variety of types of film, each different and with their own cultural influences.
Friday 18 September 2015
Thursday 17 September 2015
Trance, a more sophiticated British Crime Film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ-qYX9Oz1c
'Though it rings ever so slightly hollow as cool shades into callousness, this exercise in sexy suspense and brain-scrambling mystery is a dazzling, absorbing entertainment which shows off Danny Boyle’s mastery of complex storytelling and black, black humour.'
This is a review from Empire magazine and the trailer will show how different this film is to the others I have been focusing on as its main focus is neither 'Geezers' or new wave urban crime. This has its own style although involving thugs it is not the films main theme as with many British urban films, our main character for once is a true protagonist rarely seen in British film, particularly Urban Crime. For example in Kidulthood our protagonist tortures someone, in Snatch Mikey (although out of revenge) kills the cockney gangsters. This is often because of the British tendency to lean towards realism however Trance differs as it brings a certain amount of pseudoscience to the film. However it still carries a certain amount of the British Crime genre in it allowing for an interesting and entertaining viewing experience. I believe its target market must have been wider than films such as Bullet Boy for example.
'Though it rings ever so slightly hollow as cool shades into callousness, this exercise in sexy suspense and brain-scrambling mystery is a dazzling, absorbing entertainment which shows off Danny Boyle’s mastery of complex storytelling and black, black humour.'
This is a review from Empire magazine and the trailer will show how different this film is to the others I have been focusing on as its main focus is neither 'Geezers' or new wave urban crime. This has its own style although involving thugs it is not the films main theme as with many British urban films, our main character for once is a true protagonist rarely seen in British film, particularly Urban Crime. For example in Kidulthood our protagonist tortures someone, in Snatch Mikey (although out of revenge) kills the cockney gangsters. This is often because of the British tendency to lean towards realism however Trance differs as it brings a certain amount of pseudoscience to the film. However it still carries a certain amount of the British Crime genre in it allowing for an interesting and entertaining viewing experience. I believe its target market must have been wider than films such as Bullet Boy for example.
Guy Ritchie and new British Crime
He is responsible for Lock Stock and Snatch, both great films however he has directed some more disappointing productions such as RocknRolla (depending on taste). However he has also moved away from Geezer films to Sherlock Holmes which I believe lacked substance and relied on style more than a plot. This issue is rare in the new wave of British crime as they are often made on small budgets such as Shifty which doesn't allow for the expensive GCI styles used in Sherlock. This does not mean the new wave of British crime films are all great, far from it, many of the productions have a fairly predictable story line such as Bullet Boy. Films such as Shifty and Kidulthood have kept the genre alive however generally on a smaller scale than their Cockney cousins.
Anit-Social
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WocnaoX-HNU
This trailer is of a new Film called Anti-Social starring MC's Skepta and Devlin. This film is due to be released this year reinforcing my point of the new culture which seems to have dominated the British crime genre in recent years. This shows how much music can effect a culture and even create a new sub-genre of film.
This trailer is of a new Film called Anti-Social starring MC's Skepta and Devlin. This film is due to be released this year reinforcing my point of the new culture which seems to have dominated the British crime genre in recent years. This shows how much music can effect a culture and even create a new sub-genre of film.
Tuesday 15 September 2015
British Gangster Representation in Shifty
The 'hoodie' sub-genre of British gangster films is portrayed excellently in the film 'Shifty' which I have recently watched. These films only recently started to replace the Geezer archetype in the last 15 to 20 years. The 'hoodie' representation of the British gangster may indeed be more relevant to young British audiences as the language, accent and clothing is more familiar to them in their everyday lives. Particularly the line in the film as he says 'this isn't college anymore' suggests anyone could become like Shifty (the protagonist). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT75k8sUXaQ Here is the trailer.
Thursday 10 September 2015
Layer Cake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C41JsRUGgzU
This film (here is the trailer) shows the bleak, realistic style often used in British film including plenty of long shots and fewer cuts than an American production. The 'gentleman' figure portrayed by Daniel Craig demonstrates the change of the British Gangster culture and how the 'Geezer' stereotype may be becoming less relevant.
This film (here is the trailer) shows the bleak, realistic style often used in British film including plenty of long shots and fewer cuts than an American production. The 'gentleman' figure portrayed by Daniel Craig demonstrates the change of the British Gangster culture and how the 'Geezer' stereotype may be becoming less relevant.
Kidulthood and its impact
This film incorporated the social aspect of British culture and its drama among young people as well as being orientated around the theme of the Gangster. I believe this lead the way to British drama soaps such as Skins, although this does not contain anything to do with gangsters the social circle and its importance is shown in both Kidulthood and Skins.
Although the two star review given by Empire to Kidulthood is negative it does show the way for a new type of British Gangster which is more relatable for the new generation.
Although the two star review given by Empire to Kidulthood is negative it does show the way for a new type of British Gangster which is more relatable for the new generation.
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