Gangsters are an intriguing lot. Their impact on films can be traced back to D.W. Griffith’s 1912 short film – The Musketeers of Pig Alley. While that probably sucked, a lot of them didn’t. I have been fascinated by these larger than life personas ever since I watched 1995 version of Baby Face Nelson, in which C. Thomas Howell played the chocolate-faced marauder.
And yes, Godfather too. While I feel that Francis Ford Coppola’s epic is vastly overrated, there’s no denying that Marlon Brando, James Caan, and Robert Duval played pivotal roles in Hollywood’s obsession with Italian mafioso culture. Well, I’m just a stickler for ruthless gangsters, not just the elegant ones. Unpredictable, brutal, and quite capable of crossing the line. And yes, there’s a list.
But the cast of Godfather doesn’t feature on this list. Personally, I have always thought it would have been sort of cool to be related to the Corleone family. As ruthless as they were, everyone from Don Vito to Tom Hagen had a bit of sympathy in them; maybe not enough for Mother Teresa to throw a cocktail for them, but certainly enough to make me not fear having a chance encounter with them in dark alleys.
Onto the list then…
Movie: Rise of the Foot Soldier
Character: Carlton Leach
Actor: Ricci Harnett
Quote: “Break into my house and I will bath in your fucking blood”
Based on true events, this film chronicles the series of violent events that led to Carlton Leach becoming one of the toughest bastards of the British underworld during the late Eighties and early Nineties. He started his dubious career as a football hooligan and soon grew up the ranks as a nightclub bouncer, drug dealer and eventually a force to be reckoned with. While the movie was largely dubbed as a crappy mixture of Green Street Hooligans and Guy Ritchie’s worst moments, Ricci Harnett certainly brings authenticity to the violent parts of the film with his unique brand of street fighting and brass knuckle boxing.
Movie: Sexy Beast
Character: Don Logan
Actor: Ben Kingsley
Quote: “Retired? Fuck off, you’re revolting. Look at your suntan, it’s leather, it’s like leather man, your skin. We could make a fucking suitcase out of you.”
Sexy Beast is probably the best gangster film that you haven’t seen before. Kingsley’s character Logan gets all rowdy and nasty as he looks to “convince” a retired thief – Gary Dove – to do one more job in London. So off he goes to the picturesque Costa Del So to crash into Dove’s serenity like a freight train packed with enough expletives and violence to send the Corleone family running for cover.
Movie: City Of God
Character: Li’l Zé
Actor: Leandro Firmino
Quote: “Where do you want to take the shot? In the hand or in the foot?”
City Of God is arguably one of the most entertaining foreign films of all time. Born in the one of the housing projects in Rio De Janeiro, aspiring photographer Rocket (played by Alexandre Rodrigues) tells us the story of Cidade de Deus. Along the way, we learn that Rocket is an oxymoron; too frail to indulge in violence and too clever to live in poverty. Li’l Zé is another kid who spends his childhood in one of the housing projects, and he too is not fond of living in poverty. But unlike Rocket, he lets the need for social elevation drive him insane. The scene in which he orders an eight-year-old to shoot his best friend (presumably younger) bears testament to Li’l Zé’s unflinching brutality. Riveting stuff.
Movie: Snatch
Character: Brick Top
Actor: Alan Ford
Quote: “Do you know what ‘nemesis’ means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by me”
Guy Ritchie probably single-handedly convinced the world to forgive England for giving us the Spice Girls. His films were that good. None better than Snatch. Much like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, this film’s awesomeness could be largely attributed to its characters and their eccentricities. Alan Ford plays Brick Top, a psychotic gangster whose penchant for setting off Rottweilers on petty thieves is only rivaled by his fascination for the eating habits of pigs. Brick Top’s interactions with Turkish (Jason Statham) are truly brilliant as are his chilling monologues.