Classic British Crime Films

Sexy Beast (2000) – Directed by Jonathan Glazer

Gary ‘Gal’ Dove (Ray Winstone) is a former gangster who has made a modest amount of money from his criminal career. Happy to put his criminal ways behind him, we find him retired with his wife and close friends in the bliss of rural Spain. His idyllic life is disrupted when an old colleague, Don (Ben Kingsley), pressures Gal into doing one last job in London. Gal’s unwillingness to fall back into a life of crime ensues a battle of wills between the two men, leaving them both worse off in the end.

Get Carter (1971) – Directed by Mike Hodges

Jack Carter (Sir Michael Caine) is a cold-blooded London gangster who travels to Newcastle to arrange his brother Frank’s funeral. Sceptical of his death, Carter interrogates old colleagues and friends to find out what happened to Frank, uncovering devastating secrets and lies hidden in his seedy hometown. From there, an enraged Carter leads a bloody trail of revenge in search of Frank’s killer.