A film about four petty London gangsters. The relatively small successes of the Kray brothers in the professional ring helped them start a big criminal life without any problems.

Genre trends come and go, but gangster films are always popular. They began back in the era of black and white cinema, telling us about parallel worlds, where codes of honor, weapons, money, violence and the struggle for power reign. Their heroes always attract attention with something completely unimaginable to an ordinary person. moral choice which they have to do.

Titre has made a selection of movies about gangsters: some classics and recent good, original films. We didn't take it in" Godfathers», « Reservoir Dogs" And " Nice Guys“because you definitely know about them without us.

Brian De Palma's hypnotic picture with Al Pacino and Sean Penn. 70s. Major drug trafficker Carlito Brigante served five years and was released from prison. He wants to break with the past, start an honest life and live with the woman he loves. A criminal past and a request from a close friend pull Carlito back.

Rich and emotional picture about the Clay twins, London gangsters of the sixties. The brothers led the most influential gangster group in the East End. Their record includes armed robbery, racketeering, arson, assassination attempts and murder. Both brothers were played by Tom Hardy and these are perhaps his best roles.

History is rich in such cases that there is no need to invent anything; there will be enough plots for movies for many years to come. Irish-American gangster Danny Greene was proud, brutal, ambitious and principled, making him a major figure in the 1970s mafia war in Cleveland. A war that forever changed the structure of organized crime in America.

Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe and Chiwetel Ejiofor, directed by Ridley Scott, narrate real story Frank Lucas, the quiet driver of a Harlem crime boss who decides to create his own criminal empire. His specialty is heroin, which he imports directly from South-East Asia, and Richie Roberts is already following in his footsteps - a rare example of an honest police officer in New York, hated by his colleagues. Prototypes of the main characters advised the director during filming.

Viggo Mortensen as the Russian brutal and unprincipled killer Nikolai. The plot of the film will take us to the London lair of the Russian mafia and it will be very energetic and without “spreading cranberries”. The director managed to convey the world of prison laws, and Mortensen, in order to better prepare for his role, traveled around Russia and visited small towns in the Urals.

South Korean drama about the yakuza, customs and smuggling. ABOUT little man with a huge ego, which began to make its way only because of a big name and suddenly appeared connections.

John Wick - a common person, heartbroken after the death of his wife. And a ruthless killing machine. John Wick is a noir action film about mafia and revenge that harmoniously combines drama and action.

A classic drama about famous American robbers of the thirties. They were young, in love, successful and romantic. During the existence of their gang, they robbed about twenty banks, without counting cafes and hairdressers, and killed at least 9 policemen. When their story ended they were 25 and 23, and ex-husband Bonnie said: “I'm glad they had so much fun. It's much better than getting caught."

Perhaps this is the most unusual film of the genre. Quentin Tarantino said that gangster cinema is a kind of parody of American dream. Therefore, his heroes behave like ordinary “helmets”; on the way to the murder, they talk about hamburgers and foot massages. And the whole act of the film is devoted to the problem of cleaning the car from brain debris.

We continue the “Post from the Past” section: The series of photographs presented here by Jocelyn Bain Hogg is called The Firm. The Firm is a large criminal group based in London's East End. The pictures show real English gangsters.

“I would see them sometimes when I was doing fashion shoots,” says Hogg. “They were always hanging around the models. Then I managed to meet them in Tenerife, where they were vacationing in the company of 140 people. I quickly realized that this is a whole world about which little is known.

When I filmed them, I never pretended or tried to pretend to be someone other than who I really am. They watched me closely and I made it clear to them that I would never reveal their secrets. If I had filmed even one brawl or something worse, which I, of course, witnessed, I probably wouldn’t be alive. I just kept my mouth shut and filmed. Very often they didn’t even notice me, so I managed to take completely natural, sincere photographs.”

In 2007, an exhibition of these works took place in Moscow. At its opening, Hogg brought one of the bandits and gave a master class on the topic: how to stay alive while filming mafiosi.

2. Reg Kray, temporarily released from prison for his brother's funeral.

3. Charlie's "comrades in arms" at St. Matthew's Church in Bethnal Green (London), where Charlie's funeral was held.

4. At Charlie's wake in Bethnal Green.

6. Gangster Dave Courtney, nicknamed Dodgy (cunning, resourceful) at a meeting with students at Oxford University. You can see a “tool of labor” on the table.

7. Gangster nicknamed Bulldog and Dave Courtney at the Atlantic bar in London.

8. Dave Courtney

9. Private party in Mayfair (central London).

11. This is not a professor at Oxford University, as it might seem at first glance, but a seasoned robber, Bruce Reynolds.

12. Flanagan is a glamor model from the 70s and an old friend of the Firm guys.

13. Porn casting in Deptford (a suburb of London). Porn business is one of the Firm's activities.

14. Roy Shaw, nicknamed Pretty Boy (handsome). London

15. Roy Shaw (left) with friends at the Kensington Palace Hotel.

16. Bernie Lee, nicknamed Mr. Bullion (gold bar).

18. Mickey Goldtooth (in a jacket) and friends watch Phil's body painting. Tenerife (Canary Islands).

19. Mickey with his partner Maria in Tenerife.

21. Chanel - Maria's daughter - is in strong gangster hands.

22. Mickey with his family.

23. Business conversation Mickey at the bar.

24. The Barney boys are employees of the Firm's "branch" in South Wales.

25. One of Barney's boys is playing with a dog.

26. Dai named Boxer. South Wales

film, science fiction, action, comedy, crime, adventure

2019 / New Zealand/ Morgan Albrecht, Yoson Ahn, Jaya Beach-Robertson

A small town criminal finds an ancient Chinese time travel device that will help him pull off a heist and begin...

(Ghostbox Cowboy)

1:54:22 film, action, drama, comedy, crime, adventure, full-length

2018/ China, USA / David Zellner, Specialist, Robert Longstreet

A Texas entrepreneur decided to move to China and open his own business there. But the American diaspora there is always trying to drive him back to America.

(Mile 22)

1:29:15 film, action, thriller, crime, adventure, full-length

2018/ USA / Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, Iko Uwais, John Malkovich, Ciel

The Ghosts are an elite top-secret intelligence unit: officially they do not exist, but in fact they are real. They solve problems when old methods are no longer...

(A Viszkis)

2:07:59 film, action, drama, crime, adventure, biography, full-length

2018/ Hungary / Bence Szalai, Zoltan Schneider, Victor Klem, Piroshka Moga

The whole of Hungary knows the bank robber nicknamed Whiskey. Before going to work, he always drinks whiskey.

(The Escape of Prisoner 614)

1:37:22 film, action, comedy, crime, adventure, full-length

2018/ USA / Ron Perlman, Martin Starr, Jake McDorman, George Sample

The film takes place in 1960. Two sheriff's deputies lose their jobs when a criminal escapes from under their noses. To get a chance to...

(Taxi 5)

1:35:07 film, action, comedy, crime, adventure, full-length

2018/ France / Frank Gastambide, Malik Bentalha, Bernard Farsi, Monsieur Poup

Ex-Commissioner Gibert, who has become the most unlucky mayor of Marseille in the history of the city, instructs recruit Sylvain Marot, transferred from the capital, to deal with the elusive...

(Trouble Is My Business)

1:54:03 film, action, thriller, crime, detective, adventure, full-length

2018/ USA / Vernon Wells, Tom Konkle, Brittney Powell, Jana Benker

Investigating mysterious disappearance members of the Montemar family, detective Roland Drake gets to the bottom of terrible secrets of your city. Black market, criminal networks...

(Boost)

1:43:45 film, action, thriller, drama, crime, adventure, full-length

2018/ Canada / Nabil Rajo, Jamil French, Ntare Mwine, Fani Mallet

Akim and Mak have been close friends since childhood. The two of them are trying to become “in tune” in Montreal, which is new to them. Everyone sees success in their own way - someone dreams...

(California Dreaming)

1:23:47 film, action, thriller, comedy, crime, adventure, full-length

2018/ USA / Bronwyn Carrie-Wilson, Devanny Pinn, Louis Mandylor

Two students from Southern California go on vacation to Mexico. When they are kidnapped by human traffickers while on a cruise, they are forced to plan their escape.

(The Adventurers)

1:48:13 film, action, drama, crime, adventure, full length

2017/ Hong Kong, France, China / Andy Lau, Jean Reno, Shu Qi, Tony Yang, Sha Yi

The famous thief has been released from prison and is ready to pull off an international robbery scam during the Cannes Film Festival.

(Renegades)

1:39:22 film, action, thriller, drama, crime, adventure, war

2017/ France, Belgium, Germany / J.K. Simmons, Sullivan Stapleton

At the bottom of a lake in war-torn Bosnia, a team of US Navy SEALs finds a treasure - gold bars worth more than $300 million. The team's mission...

(Gun Shy)

1:33:56 film, action, thriller, comedy, crime, adventure, full-length

2017/ UK / Antonio Banderas, Olga Kurylenko, Ben Kura

Henry, nicknamed the Imp, is a popular rock star with all that it entails. True, his glory days are in the past. To have fun, he goes on vacation to Chile...

(Cop and a Half 2)

1:37:22 film, action, comedy, crime, detective, adventure, family

2017/ Canada / Lou Diamond Phillips, Lulu Wilson, Janet Kidder, Glenn Beck

A precocious kid and a police officer team up to catch a dangerous criminal.

(The Saint)

1:32:36 film, action, crime, adventure, full length

2017/ USA / Adam Rayner, Eliza Dushku, Ian Ogilvy, James Remar

A desperate rich man asks international thief Simon Templar, nicknamed the Saint, to find his kidnapped daughter. Simon not only has to run away from...

(The River Thief)

1:27:28 film, action, crime, adventure, full length

2017/ USA / Joel Courtney, Paul Johansson, Bas Ratten, Raleigh Kane

Diz is a carefree orphan teenager who steals everything that is worthless. The boy's search for his father will lead him to a small town on the river, where he will have to change his...

(Extortion)

1:49:38 film, action, thriller, drama, crime, adventure, full-length

2017/ USA, Philippines / Eion Bailey, Bethany Joy Lenz, Barkhad Abdi

A happy family goes on vacation to the Caribbean, but their trip is soon cut short by tragedy. The hero will have to race against time to save...

Strangers on the Block (2011) / Attack the Block

This must happen: in residential area Unfriendly aliens have landed in London. And they never guessed the location of the invasion: while the tired representatives of the working class were only good for food, the motley British punks gave the “strangers” a deadly cold reception.

“Strangers on the Block” is quietly trying to pass for the illegitimate child of Edgar Wright, despite the fact that the movie was produced by the same Nyra Park and James Wilson who produced “Shaun of the Dead,” and Nick Frost from the aforementioned zombie comedy appeared in a small role. “Strangers...” slightly lacks the polish and lightness that Wright had, but at the same time the picture holds the viewer quite tightly with a funny concept (you must admit, London rednecks are not often seen as Helen Ripley) and varying degrees of lousy gags. The result is a cheerful cross-genre attraction that brightens up unnecessarily dark colors on a weekday evening and makes you look at the antisocial elements of your own neighborhood from a different angle.

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Ethan Bishop is incredibly lucky! On his first day of work as a police officer, he is assigned to a station that is closing. Besides him, there are two and a half policemen, a secretary and prisoners waiting to be transported to death row. Almost all the furniture was taken out, the phones were turned off: all they did was tell stories. But it was on this day that a local gang of thugs decided to take revenge for the death of their friends. And very soon Bishop has to not only fight back in a besieged building without the ability to call for help, but also team up with suicide bombers.

The urban Western, inspired by Howard Hawks's classic Rio Bravo and Romero's grandfather's equally classic Night of the Living Dead, only strengthened the foundation for the success of the young John Carpenter, previously laid by Dark Star. Already here the signature style of the cult director and his filigree work with imagery are clearly visible. Carpenter deliberately dehumanized the gang members so that they look more like zombies or monsters crawling out of every corner than street punks. Combined with suspense, intimate production and Carpenter’s signature soundtrack, this presentation gives you goosebumps. And the scene at the ice cream truck is a masterpiece in itself; in order to convey it to the viewer, John had to deceive the rating commission: in matters of art it is difficult to achieve a compromise.

Carnival of Infamy (2006) / Biyeolhan geori

Byeong-Du is the leader of a small gang, supported by more serious gangsters. He is even thinking about getting involved with gangsters. But fate has a different plan: Byeong-Du wins the respect of the big boss and begins to rise in the criminal hierarchy. Unfortunately, the age of the kondal (as members of the organized crime group are called in the Land of Morning Freshness) is short-lived, and the walls around the protagonist begin to narrow and the ground under their feet begins to burn.

No matter what Yoo Ha films - a thriller or an epic - the drama always comes to the fore. "Carnival of Infamy" is no exception. You expect “bitterness and sweetness” from the film, but it constantly reveals the dualism of the characters, the fragmented feeling of the impossibility of changing the situation, or social implications. Brutal fights and blood gushing from wounds are also in place. Koreans film a lot and willingly about their kondals, and, as luck would have it, almost all the pictures are of the highest standard. But even among its powerful brethren, “Carnival of Infamy” stands out quite clearly. A monumental and tough movie for those who don't mind being forced to frown.

Warriors (1979) / The Warriors

A gang with the laconic name “Warriors” is going to a rally of all the gangs of New York, which was organized by the universally respected authority Cyrus. He plans to unite all the gangs into a single army and show the Big Apple who really is the power here. But, like any leader, Cyrus also has enemies and intriguers: during the meeting, they feed the authority with lead, and in the general turmoil, all the blame is placed on the Warriors. Now they need to get to their native Coney Island at any cost, paving their way through the entire city with fists and blood, while every criminal in New York considers it his duty to send the Warriors to the next world.

Walter Hill's timeless masterpiece is unlikely to impress the viewer with the staging of the fights: the film failed to cope with this even in 1979, when “The Warriors” was criticized for its “ballet fights.” But in terms of romanticizing street gangs and conveying atmosphere, few can compare with Hill. For an hour and a half, Coney Island becomes home, and the titular gang becomes its own guys. Even Michael Beck, usually wooden, here takes on the characteristics of a bastion and embodied leadership. What Sabatini did with pirates, Walter Hill does with street gangs, and it's okay if you missed this movie in adolescence: “Warriors” was filmed in such a way that it’s very difficult not to fall in love with them even now.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

There is no more famous gang on earth than the gang of Alex De Large, who literally subjugated popular culture. Anthony Burgess's novel is worthy of admiringly hysterical epithets in itself, but Kubrick took this cult to an extraordinary level (although the writer himself was not delighted with the changes in his story). Appearance Alexa and company, the Korova bar, milk-plus, the imperishables of Ludwig van Beethoven, synthetic language (nasty), life in the style of good old ultra-violence, the scene to “Singin’ in the Rain,” a killer soundtrack, Kubrick’s sophisticated direction, the bottomless charisma of Malcolm McDowell - the whole alternate universe cruelty and style.

This film was referenced by Quentin Tarantino, Wes Craven, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Lloyd Kaufmann, Sergio Leone, John Landis and Danny Boyle (the list is far from complete); Die Toten Hosen and Sepultura dedicated a film based on a concept album, and The Exploited's album Beat The Bastards featured samples from Kubrick's film in many songs; the director had to pull the film out of distribution due to death threats; finally, it is the only X-rated film to be nominated for an Oscar in the best picture category.

This is the situation, you filthy old soomka!

Yellow Sea (2010) / Hwanghae

Welcome to Yanbian (aka Yongbyon), a Chinese administrative unit inhabited mainly by ethnic Koreans who fled to the Middle Kingdom after the Japanese invaded the territory South Korea. In this specific place, the story of Chosonjok (the so-called Chinese Koreans who, unlike their American or Japanese counterparts, are not much loved in their historical homeland) of Kim Gu-Nam begins. He lives with his mother and daughter, works part-time as a taxi driver, drinks soju (you can’t live without soju in Korea!), loses at mahjong, accrues debts... And waits for news from his wife, who went to Seoul to earn money, but has recently stopped sending pay. This is where Gu-Nam receives an offer from local gangsters: to hit the road to the Korean capital, hit whoever he needs, and come back. So the debt will be written off, and money will be thrown on top, and you can try to find the negligent wife. Our anti-hero agrees, but his little crime spree turns into a bloodbath.

Hong-Jin hasn’t made many films yet, but every one in his filmography is worth three. The Yellow Sea turned out to be the most versatile: the movie begins as social drama, continues as a suspense thriller, and then suddenly mutates into an uncompromisingly brutal action movie. What’s especially nice is that the characters are entirely lumpen and criminals (not noble at all), and no one receives undivided sympathy, but at the same time it’s impossible not to empathize at all. And in terms of gang warfare, “The Yellow Sea” will give odds to most films of Western directors: signature Korean hypernaturalism, massive shootouts and fights (beating up rivals with a huge beef bone stands out), dynamic chases and, of course, a generous portion of rich dramatic sauce.

City of God (2002) / Cidade de Deus

The director duo Meirelles/Lund approached the filming of a film about real Brazilian gangs with all responsibility. Cast Most of them consisted of people from favelas, and they filmed in real crime areas. However, the City of God itself was ignored - it was too “hot”, and there were already enough impressions: Meirelles later admitted that if he had known in advance what it would be like to shoot a film in the favelas of Rio, he would have disowned the project in six seconds.

But the audience does not regret anything: “City of God” has become more than just good movie about another criminalized point on the globe, but one of the most noticeable films of the 21st century. The rating on film databases tends to infinity, not a single top “best of films” is complete without Cidade De Deus, a whole bunch of awards (although it was not possible to win an Oscar and a Globe) - the film left a very noticeable imprint.

It's all about the harmonious interweaving of elements. “City of God” is one of those paintings that, if taken apart into its components, is not only pointless, but certainly irrational. But all together - direction, authenticity, drama, lighting historical events, bright and ominous reflections of images - makes it something more than just social significant history, recreated on camera.

Skins (1992) / Romper Stomper

Jeffrey Wright's crime drama has become the most famous Australian painting with Russell Crowe, then still very young and of no status. The film tells the story of Melbourne skinheads seriously fighting against Asians. But this is background; on foreground gets out quickly love triangle between Hando, the leader of a neo-Nazi group, his right hand Davey and the girl Gabrielle who recently appeared in the company. As often happens in such situations, external events cling to internal experiences, and such a cocktail does not lead to anything good.

Skins look especially ironic in Australia, a country where the concept of “coming in large numbers” is absent in principle, since almost every modern Ossie, at least in the third generation, has a relative who immigrated to the Country of the Kangaroo. However, Wright prefers not to dig too deeply into this topic. What he is really interested in are human motivators that change an individual’s behavior to something completely unusual for him. And also the reasons why people join groups. After all, by and large, not all of the characters in Skins are ideological Nazis and fans of the Third Reich. It’s nice, however, that Wright doesn’t forget about genre elements, so Romper Stomper can have an equal impact on fans of thrillers, drama fans, and viewers who happened to watch it.

Gangs of New York (2002) / Gangs of New York

Martin Scorsese's large-scale film depicts the long battle between two irreconcilable gangs: the "Native Americans" led by "The Butcher" Cutting against the young Amsterdam Vellon. The film is replete with bloody fights (too brutal according to some critics), historical references and archetypes. Daniel Day-Lewis, as always, played above all praise, but with Cameron Diaz it turned out funny: it turns out that to make a girl Irish, you just need to dye her hair red.

Gangs of New York received as many as 10 Oscar nominations, but didn't win a single one. In this, film academics showed consistency: the master was nominated for a golden statuette so many times, but they were in no hurry to be named a laureate. But nothing: in five years the eminent director will get his way, but at that time he had to be content with the Golden Globe.

Boyz n the Hood (1991)

In the early 90s, the situation in the Los Angeles neighborhoods became so tense that it resulted in a full-scale riot. Subsequently, this theme was played out in cinema, music, and even video games. The crisis, unemployment and general criminalization of African-American neighborhoods became key to several films released shortly before the Los Angeles riot. The most famous of them is "Kids on the Street".

This tragic story the Styles brothers and their friend Tre, who are trying to find their way in South Central, one of the most troubled areas of the City of Angels, where street gangs control everything and drugs flow like a river. Over time, it became clear that this topic was not going to lose its relevance: 14 years later, Damien Marley sang about the same things in Welcome To Jamrock, and recent events in the USA again make us talk about crime, police brutality and racism.

Be that as it may, John Singleton managed to reach the audience: the film for 6.5 million dollars grossed 57 and a half, and the director’s name was included in the list of possible Oscar contenders (and this at the age of 23). “Guys from the Street” did not receive an award, but over time the film was officially recognized cultural value. And Singleton, every year, moved more and more towards more neutral action films like “Shaft” and “2 Fast 2 Furious,” until he eventually made the completely toothless “The Chase” with Taylor Lautner. Now the director makes his living mainly from TV series.

Speech by Roberto Saviano in the British Parliament. “According to some estimates, £57 billion is laundered in the UK. The City and Wall Street are the largest money laundering factories for drug trafficking clans.”

If you ask which country in the world can be called the most corrupt in the world, the first answer that suggests itself will be dictated by information about directly perceived corruption. What will probably come to mind first of all are Mexico and the countries Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Italy. In fact, the most corrupt country is England, but here corruption does not concern officials, police officers, mayors, it is in tune with the economic system itself. The economic system in England is fueled by corruption. At the same time, the government and citizens did not truly realize that the situation in the country was already becoming an emergency.

In 2015, the National Crime Agency published very important data in its report. It reported that “every year, hundreds of billions of criminal dollars are laundered in UK banks and their branches.” It was also reported that “the volume of money laundered thus poses a threat to the economy and reputation of the United Kingdom.” Soon after, British Prime Minister David Cameron outlined his goals, saying: "The United Kingdom must never become a tax haven for the world's dirty money." However, everything turned out differently.

Context

Brexit - NATO - London

Brussels is trying to avoid Brexit

Without laundering, mafia money would lie unmoving. Therefore, they need to be put back into circulation: the problem for criminal organizations is not how to make money, but how to use it again. In the UK, non-governmental associations estimate that £57 billion (equal to €74 billion) is laundered. This is illegal profit, which, after undergoing the necessary laundering procedures, is returned to circulation. Criminal capital is being quietly transferred, threatening our economy and democracy. Everything happens quietly.

The City of London, along with Wall Street, is the largest factory for laundering dirty proceeds from drug trafficking. London is an international financial system that handles billions of pounds worth of transactions from around the world every year and offers the most sophisticated financial services. But that's not all, because, in addition, the capital of England is at the center of the global offshore system.

Many international capitals passing through states belonging to the British Crown (such as Jersey or the Cayman Islands), which are simply fiscal heavens, are subsequently sent to the City banks and, having reached London, are already clean, even if they had dirty origin. As a 2013 study based on investigations by the Transcrime Center (International Research Center for Criminology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan) showed, all major Italian mafias conduct their transactions through the United Kingdom. According to a study by Transparency International, in 2015 there were 36,342 property units in London with an area of ​​6 square meters. km., owned by shell companies. At the same time, 75% of properties in the United Kingdom that are currently under investigation for corruption are registered in fiscal paradise countries.

In this way, entire areas of London are being emptied and turned into investment. Money comes, people disappear.

The English press has finally noticed that a real financial occupation is taking place in their capital: a few days ago, a fuss was raised due to an investigation published in the Guardian related to the tallest residential skyscraper in London - the St George Wharf Tower, a 50-storey concrete structure with 214 apartments, which are mostly owned by foreign tycoons or offshore companies. This tower with all possible options most empty for years, while the majority of Londoners can no longer find housing with affordable rent: the houses are no longer used for living, but instead of concrete safes to store money - often of dubious origin.

In a month, the UK will cast its votes in favor or against leaving Europe in a referendum on the so-called Brexit project.
It must be borne in mind that there are areas - such as justice and security - in which it is impossible to act alone. When we're talking about about organized crime, terrorism, drug trafficking - there are no borders. It would be misleading to think otherwise.

How can problems that are international in nature be solved using only national instruments?

The UK can no longer pretend that nothing is happening. Now he has the facts, the results of investigations, warnings from experts and authorities. The time has come to act, to solve the problem of criminal capital before they buy up the whole of Great Britain.

This is the text of Roberto Saviano's speech in the British Parliament at the invitation of Labor MP David Lammy, former minister education.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.