Picturenose

Beast at bay? Er, no…

Jesus Christ! What got Ghandi in such a bad mood? Sexy Beast (2000) was a film I came to very late (eight years late, in fact) and only watched on the insistence of James, who would ideally like me to see every film in the world, as he seems to have, but sometimes I do heed his recommendations, if only to stop him banging on about them. It turns out he was right about this one, though. (Thank you, Colin - J).

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Vive Mesrine!

Let’s face it – no one does Real McCoy, well-’ard gangster flicks like we Europeans. Of course, Stateside, you can cite Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990) or Casino (1995) and, at a pinch, Coppolla’s The Godfather (1972) but sorry, when it comes to what violence, fear of violence and callous characterizations are really all about, we have (among many others) Get Carter (1971). We’ve got The Long Good Friday (1980). Frankly, you’ve never really had a glass smashed into your face unless you’ve had it this side of the Atlantic, and there is a gritty, seamy, downright dirty side to the 70s gangster look and feel that only European pubs, bars, clubs and strip-joints can effectively convey.

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Classic Cronenberg

He can seemingly do no wrong; Canadian David Cronenberg, responsible for some of the finest examples of films that really do hit you where you live, has crossed the Atlantic to the UK for his first effort ever to be filmed completely outside his home country.

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Game for anything

Tom Ripley (John Malkovich): You’re not planning on singing me through the door, are you?
Reeves (Ray Winstone): I’ve got the Carregio in here.
Tom Ripley: Well, you’re not coming in.
Reeves: I’m fucking coming in.
Tom Ripley: No, because it’s not a Carregio, it’s a Correggio. Just like it’s not tacco but ta-a-cco. Not pasto but pasta, see? Your entire education comes from classic car magazine and you dress like you’re on a condom run for the mob. By the way, it isn’t a Correggio, it’s a fake Rembrandt and until you know that, you’re not coming in with me.
Reeves: Don’t fuck me over here, pratt.
Tom Ripley: Don’t threaten me. I’m not the one wearing an earring.

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Family values?
To call Donnie Brasco a ‘gangster movie’ would be like calling Dawn of the Dead (1978) ‘a film about some sick people wandering about’ - this has so much more to offer than the usual Mafiosi stereotypes (although they are there in spades).

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