Research into Bristish gangster Films

The working class, gritty British gangster film, where such scarcely figure in British cinema until the 1940's. Before this there was a feeling that 'gangsters' were something essentially American and British cinema stuck to the gritty crooks. For some decades, British crime movies tended to feature solo criminals, crooks and often murderers, as in Hitchcock's The Lodger (1926) and Young and Innocent (1937). In the 20's and 30's Detective stories were popular, the famous Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie-style detection stories notably. The less tightened censorship restrictions began the emerging of British gangster films onto the cinema screens. By 1951 the concept of a British gangster movie had become familiar enough for the production of a spoof, 'The Lavender Hill Mob', by Alec Guinness led four years later by another film another by him, 'The Ladykillers' (1955) and gangster comedies such as Two Way stretch (1960) more recent light hearted titles include Rock nRolla(2008).
A popular subject of gangster films are Heist films notoriously having plot twists, and focusing on the characters' attempts to formulate a plan, carry it out, and escape with their attended loot. Two famous examples being 'The Italian Job' with its famous and literal cliff hanger ending and more recently 'Sexy Beast' (2000) with a soon release due of a new film made by the same director: '44inch Chest'.. British gangster films have significantly over the past years having to develope with a changing and diverse society from the early noir gangster thrillers to modern thriller more frequently surrounding the Recent publicity of urban youth crime and violence the 'yob generation'. This has been reflected in a number of films, notably Kidulthood (2006) and its sequel, Adulthood (2008).

Generic Signifiers of British gangster films

British Gangster films settings typically tend to be dark, gloomy, urban streets. On working class derelict estates, neglected apartments/flats warehouses and other locations where criminal activity can take place unseen. The characters usually involve male leads, criminals with little morals and remorse, who are selfish and are out to make money and a living for themselves, though the liberty of something else not caring who they hurt in their way.

 A report by Jane Burnside @ Virgin Media/movies says that the top ten British Gangster films are the following: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Brighton Rock, Get Carter, Villain, The Long Good Friday, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Krays, Face, Reservoir Dogs and Sexy Beast. Looking through various over top tens and research into British gangster films these titles come up again and again as greats of there genre.