The Hobbledehoy notes the omission of 1997’s absolutely marvelous gangster flick I Went Down directed by Paddy Breathnach and starring Brendan Gleeson, Peter McDonald and Michael McElhatton.
True, I Went Down is Irish not British, but the same can be said for In Bruges, which is on this Top 10 list. But who cares about rules anyway? Certainly not gangsters!
Nobody does gangster movies quite like the Brits, eh? The origins of the British crime thriller go back almost 75 years, though the genre truly picked up speed in the late 1960s, with the following three decades in particular serving up a slew of quintessential British gangster romps.
From comedy-laced capers to more serious, unexpectedly character-driven thrillers, these are the ten most influential genre entries that have been copied, parodied and homaged over the years – often successfully, but more often not – and set the groundwork for an entire film industry in of itself.
See all 10 movies at: 10 Best British Gangster Movies Ever