Crime films are the bread and butter of British cinema. Whether it’s an East End soap opera, or an Agatha Christie murder mystery, it can be hard to overhear a British film without thinking the plot involves a heist gone awry, a double-crossing between gangs, or the death of one key figure or another. This is mainly because some of British cinema’s biggest classics have used the criminal underworld for their setting.
Back in Britain, these films can be easy to find. It’ll either be going for cheap on a DVD shelf, or a whole host of them will be available all on one streaming service or another. But what about people in North America? How can they decide whether these British efforts stand up next to efforts like Serpico, Carlito’s Way, or The Andy Griffith Show? Here are some of the UK’s strongest crime films, and where Yanks and Canucks alike can find them.
5 Brighton Rock: BFI Player Classics
Steven Spielberg turned Jurassic Park’s villain, Dr. Hammond, into a good guy because he had trouble seeing the late Sir Richard Attenborough as an evil person. While he did look more like a kindly grandpa in his elder years, this 1948 adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel has a young Attenborough as a psychopathic gangster. His character, ‘Pinkie’ Brown, murders a journalist in a revenge killing, then seduces a young woman to help him form an alibi.
Once she’s served her purpose, he has to come up with a way to get her off his back. The film shocked 1940s audiences for its violent content yet is now regarded as one of the finest examples of British cinema. Thanks to the British Film Institute, this classic crime caper can be streamed through BFI Players Classic, which is available on Amazon, Android, Roku, and other services. There is a remake set in the 1960s, but the original is the better option between the two.
4 The Long Good Friday: HBO Max/Criterion Channel
In this film, Harold Shand is a London gangster who plans on redeveloping the London Docklands with an American partner. His plans go awry when his properties are beset by a series of bombings and murders carried out by the IRA. To save his project, Shand and his gang have to figure out why the IRA is targeting him and his associates, and if some people on his payroll are dealing behind his back.
The film came 21st in the British Film Institute’s Top 100 Films, and it was the film that put the late Bob Hoskins on the map through his performance as the ruthless criminal Shand. Eager viewers can fire up HBO Max or sign up to the Criterion Channel to catch the man on top form.
3 Mona Lisa: HBO Max/Criterion Channel
If The Long Good Friday wasn’t enough to satiate the need for British gangster flicks and Bob Hoskins, Mona Lisa should top them up. Directed by Neil Jordan (Interview With The Vampire), the film features Hoskins as an ex-con helping a call-girl called Simone save her girlfriend Cathy from her pimp. He ends up torn between his feelings for Simone, his duty to his boss (played by Michael Caine), and his estranged daughter Jeannie.
Mona Lisa combines crime thrillers with relationship drama, be it romantic, platonic, or familial, which makes it a more emotional experience. Like Hoskins’ other top film, it can be caught on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.
2 Snatch: Amazon Prime/Hulu Plus/Peacock
This one might be more familiar. Guy Ritchie’s film Snatch spread far and wide back on its release in 2001. Part of it was due to the cross-cultural appeal, with Brad Pitt stretching his skills as Irish Traveler ‘One Punch’ Mickey O’Neil. Another part of it was Dennis Farina going full-bore as Abraham ‘Cousin Avi’ Denovitz. The biggest part is in seeing how their two plots intertwine as the gains from a diamond heist get tied up in a rigged boxing racket.
Since the film managed to go further beyond British shores, Snatch is easier to find on streaming services. Viewers can take their chances with either Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, or Peacock to catch Ritchie’s high point in full.
1 Legend: Netflix
This film’s generic title makes it hard to look for, but it’s worth the search. Legend follows the true story of the Kray twins and their rise to prominence in Sixties London before their imprisonment at the end of the decade. Ronnie Kray is a paranoid schizophrenic who isn’t afraid to use his muscle to intimidate his foes. While his twin brother Reggie is an ex-boxer who can’t kick his addiction to crime, not even to save his marriage.
The two brothers plan on splitting London’s underworld between themselves and the American Mafia, only for their volatile personalities to slowly bring their empire down. Tom Hardy’s dual roles as Ronnie and Reggie Kray earned him awards at the London Film Critic’s Circle and the British Independent Film Awards. Seeing him in action is straightforward too, as Legend is available to watch on Netflix. Just make sure it’s the 2015 Tom Hardy film and not the 1985 Tom Cruise fantasy film.