american and english gangster films

American Vs English Gangster Films

English Gangster Films

Snatch (2000) -Budget of £6 million.The film follows the story of two boxing promoters and a stolen diamond. Snatch is considered to be a very influential film for the gangster genre; this is due to the realistic storyline and the mix of comedy.

Rock n Rolla (2008)-Budget £18 million.The film is a modern gangster film, which follows a gang in the city who are looking to get rich quick.Although this film wasn't as successful in profit as others; it was actually a very popular film.

Examples of English Gangster Films

Conventions in English Gangster Film Openings

Dark Colours and Low Lighting-Most British gangster films begin with dark colours and low lighting, which is throughout the opening. This is seen through the location, characters profiles, props and costumes. It is also more likely for this theme to be continued throughout the whole film.

First shots-It is rare to see an establishing shot within the opening sequence of English gangster films. Instead you see multiple shots of a character, or multiple characters. This leads into the establishing of the characters quicker and gives the audience a better connection to the individual. Examples of shots used are, mid shots, hand held shot, panning, tracking shot, long shot and side track.

Costumes-The costumes tend to stick to a modern representation of gangsters and often feature a suit or dark smart clothing. Weapons, drugs and money are also key aspects and conventions.


Voiceovers and Sound-These are often seen across many British gangster openings. They are used to give a brief introduction to the character and/or the storyline. Non-diegetic music is also a popular convention; it generally starts at the beginning and builds up throughout the duration of the opening. Sometimes sound effects and ambient sounds are also used.

Credits and Titles-In just about every British gangster film opening there is always opening credits. These are usually worked into the scene. The name of the film, key actors, director, publishing and distribution companies, are all shown in that sequence.

Editing-There is key use of editing techniques such as, match on action, freeze frame, eye-line match, credits, slow motion, and juxtaposition.


Mise-en-scene-• Colours that are seen across every British gangster films include,

black, white, red, grey and brown. They are used all over each scene and also used in the themes of each film.

• Key make-up used throughout the films include, fake blood, scars and red lipstick.

• Popular locations/settings used in the British gangster films are urban cities, pubs/bars and clubs.

• Specific props, such as cigarettes, cigars, money, guns and drugs, are used throughout all British gangster films.

History of English Gangster Films

The UK saw a surge films based on crimes, like gangster films, during the post world war years.

Films such as "The Italian Job", are heavily criticized as it mixes crime with comedy. This is due to the fact they believe that showing organized crime to be "a bit of a laugh" desensitizes society to crime and would eventually see it as normal.

It is said that "British gangster films each have their fingers on the pulse of the UK at the time of its production and hits a raw nerve on society."This means that British gangster films can be seen as too emotional and hard hitting as they involve subjects that are not yet sensitized to be talked about casually (subjects that are avoided).

American Gangster Films

Examples of American Gangster FilmsThe Godfather(1972) -Budget of $60 million.The film follows a boss of gangster mafia who is trying to hand over his power to his reluctant son.The Godfather is considered to be a very influential film as it has key themes and has been seen across the world. It has won multiple Oscars.

Pulp Fiction (1994)-Budget $8 million.The film tells the story's of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.This film is majorly influential as it changed the way gangster films were seen, because it was so different to all the ones in the past.

The American Perspective of American Gangster Films

In American gangster films it is debated that these films involve the warped idea of the “American Dream”.

The American Dream is a national ideology of the United States, containing a set of ideals, including the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social possibility, achieved through hard work.

This is represented in the films by the characters desires to be rich and successful with as much power as they can get and also it speaks directly to the American public. The evidence for this is the fact that there is huge popularity of the gangster film genre in the American film industry.

The gangster is changed into the idea that he is like ‘Robin Hood’, and is actually the good guy. This idea is twisted and can be seen wrong, as in fact they are committing the crimes.

Conventions in American Gangster Film Openings

Location/Setting-In American gangster films we see nearly all of the films set in locations such as, large cities, nightclubs, mansions and streets. These are all clearly darkened or lighted by neon lights.

First shots-Due to the settings and locations seen in American gangster films, we see lots of establishing shots of the settings; usually involving the cities scape. The shots empathies the location and set the era for the story to then begin later.

Storyline-The gangsters themselves are usually materialistic, street smart, immoral and egoistic. This is shown through the general storyline of the characters rise to power with wrong-doings; while showing an ambitious desire for success and recognition.


Costumes-The costumes seen in American gangster films are of high end, including posh suits that are branded and are expensive. They are contrasted with poor clothing worn by the ‘normal’ people of society; this is done purposely to show a divide in the characters positions and social classes. The gangsters are seen as better.

Sound-The sound used involves non-diegetic music, it generally starts at the beginning and builds up throughout the duration of the opening. There is also lots of diegetic sounds, made through sound effects to highlight lots of different aspects. It can be seen as over the top.

Credits and Titles-The credits and titles that are used are flashy and expensive, it highlights the riches that gangsters have and is also done because of the money/budget that is given for the film.

Editing-There is a lot of editing used in American gangster films. This is shown through fancy and high tech editing to add atmosphere, however it can make the films seem unrealistic and a world away from our reality.

Mise-en-scene-• Colours that are seen across every American gangster films

include, black, white, red, grey and brown. They are used all over each scene and also used in the themes of each film.

• Key make-up used throughout the films include, lots of fake blood, scars and lots of beauty make up on females.

• Specific props, such as cigarettes, but mainly cigars, money, lots of expensive guns and drugs, are used throughout all American gangster films.


History of American Gangster Films

America saw a surge of gangster films during the 1930s. This was influenced by real life gangsters who reigned over New York in this era.

We see the film “American Gangster” heavily influenced by a real gang. The influence was from the rise of Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas. This influence is seen across nearly all American gangster films, as they all are influenced by real life crime.

The films often highlight the life of a crime figure or victim. They also often glorify the rise and fall of individual criminals, through conflict with the law.

Comparison between English and American Gangster Films

Differences between English and American Gangster Films

There are a lot of differences between the American and English gangster films that you would not expect. These include…

History and Influences-American gangster films became popular and more well-known 10/20 years before English gangster films were. The reasons for this is debated massively. Some say it is due to the higher crime rate in the 1930s in America and therefore is due to the influences for the films.

Sounds-English gangster films use a lot of voiceovers and American gangster films don’t so much. This can be due to the fact that English gangster films use the opening sequence to introduce the characters more, whereas American gangster films use the opening to set the time period and location first.


Credits/Titles and Editing-In British gangster film openings, the opening credits are usually worked into the scene and Americans use a wider variety across the genre. This is a like to the editing. In American gangster films there is more editing compared to English. American films are given more money for the production, and they therefore spend it on editing and credits. It is seen more clearly across the films due to better effects such as explosions and other aspects.

First shots-In American gangster films, there is lots of establishing shots of the settings; usually involving the cities scape. The shots empathies the location and set the era for the story to then begin later. Whereas in English gangster films the shots are aimed to introduce the characters more. The difference is that American gangster films use the opening to set the time period and location first and English gangster films use the opening to introduce the characters lives and personalities to the audience.


Audience Emotions-Due to the first shot, sound and editing differences, there is a different feel and emotion to the different gangster films. English gangster films are seen as more emotional due to the major character presence. It can be seen as more hard hitting and scary because of the crime involved too. This is opposite to the American gangster genre.

Similarities between English and American Gangster Films

There are fewer similarities between the American and English gangster films, however the ones that there is, are conventional across the whole gangster genre. These include…

Colours-In both types of gangster films, there is use of the same colour pallet; black, white, red, grey and brown. They are used all over each scene and also used in the themes of each film.

Make-up-In both, make-up is used throughout the films include, fake blood, scars and red lipstick. However, in American gangster films it is seen as more obvious and glamourous.

Locations/settings-In both, there is urban cities, pubs/bars and clubs. There is a difference in style to make the country location obvious, such as in English there is pubs and in American there is nightclubs.

Props-Specific props, such as cigarettes, cigars, money, guns and drugs, are all used throughout all British and American gangster films. It is a key convention of thee gangster characterisation and is therefore used across all gangster films across the whole world.

Costumes-The costumes seen in all gangster films often feature a suit or dark smart clothing. Weapons, drugs and money are also key aspects and conventions. However, in American gangster films, the suits used are of higher quality and are branded.

Similarities between English and American Gangster Films

By Daisy Newman

american and english gangster films

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