A discussion of British gangster film conventions: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

British gangster film isn’t a genre but a sun genre of gangster films. The difference is in the mise en scene. British gangster films will show typically British associated items such as red double Decker busses and small cultural shops for example a grocery shop or vegetable stand. Lock Stock uses these patriotic symbols combined with accents to heavily emphasis the idea of being in Britain.

This screen shot introduces us to the first character of the film, instantly we get introduced to cultural behaviour, the character is trying to sell knock of jewellery a common site in British marketplaces. Roadside or street side pops up stands are also frequently seen in British cities and towns. Another aspect of the mise en scene is the costume, the characters clothing suggests the weather is cold. Everything in the frame is also very dull and grey commonly associated with the English weather.

In this screen shot we see the first character is now handing out goods to a small crowd of people and they are handing him money, we get the impression this is illegal as they all seem to be in a rush and hastily hand over the money which is all in cash. The products the character is handing out aren’t wrapped or packaged professionally emphasising the idea that this is an illegal practice.

Our original suspicions of the illegal trade become clear when a traditional British police officer sees them and the characters quickly take the goods and run. British gangster films heavily feature drugs and illegal practices. This is a prime example of law breaking activity as the characters are falsely selling goods to the public. In the mise en scene in this frame the buildings in the background are all painted in British racing green.

Gangster films commonly use small dinghy alley ways and dark areas of big cities to create a dark and unsettling feel. This uses the convention of claustrophobia and darkness to connote the idea of getting caught or trapped by the police. The character throws his belongings everywhere as he jumps a stair case showing that they are worthless or disposable to him, this creates the idea that perhaps this character does more than sell cheap jewellery.

This frame suggests no illegal or criminal activity but only continues to strengthen the British feel of the film. The small shop selling vegetables and other necessities is a regular site when walking through a British city. This image introduces a new character who doesn’t appear to be submerged in criminal behaviour.

This image instantly suggests criminal activity and is very suspicious. Two characters appear to be exchanging money for goods obviously this isn’t legitimate as the lighting is poor and the shelves are all stacked up with cardboard boxes of all sizes. The British culture is cleverly portrayed through props; the small red telephone box suggests British society. The characters all look very shady and uneasy; this image is the traditional idea of a ‘drug deal’ or the exchange of an illegal product.

This image shows us two of the characters exchanging money. We get the impression this is illegal due to the sheer amount of money each man has in their hands. The large wads of money suggest success and power in the criminal world, as success is determined by materialistic items. The facial expression of the character on the right side of the frame suggests the character is reluctant to hand over money to the other character.

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels uses gangster film conventions and also adds its own British twist to the film. I have used the opening to describe the conventions and briefly describe the action included in the films opening. British gangster is a sub genre but uses the same conventions as gangster films; however the British culture is commonly featured and made subtly obvious.

Describe the use of binary opposites

Film noir along with L.A. noir frequently use binary opposites to show conflict or a challenge either mentally or physically. The idea of binary opposites is simple to grasp, basically a binary opposite is when things come in pairs but are the total opposite of the latter, for example the use of black and white or good and evil. Binary opposites are used in Film Noir because they set up obvious incompatibility and create tension between characters and make the film more entertaining and interactive.




The Black Dahlia is a prime example of an L.A. noir film which heavily uses binary opposites

This is a screen print of the title screen, this image features binary opposites and combined with the shot and camera angle produces a very successful image. This scene is very violent and shows police fighting with the navy. The navy are dressed in pure white clothing head to toe and the police are dressed in black, this is two binary opposites the first is the colours and secondarily the white represents cleanliness and purity but the characters wearing white are being violent and fighting in comparison too the police who are wearing black which connotes evilness and corruption which conflicts the idea of keeping peace and serving justice.

This image is a continuation of the violent opening scene however this image shows the police in a different light. In this image the police choose not to fight and mix with the riot instead they stand at the side laughing and jeering at the navy workers. One police officer has stolen a cadet’s hat. The binary opposites used in this scene are the colours and the lighting the police are covered in darkness and shadow making them appears powerful and mysterious. However the few outlaws are well lit and are clearly visible the lighting contrasts with the action as you would presume the trouble makers would try and hide their identity.

In this image the two main characters both sit around a table smoking. The table looks formal and creates the idea of an office or a police station. Smoking is a common occurrence in film noir and L.A. noir so it is no surprise to see the characters smoking. The lighting has a significant role in this image. The lighting is non ambient and a dull beam of light is send through the window. The window has blinds down this creates shadows which divide the shot. Blinds are often used in film noir to connote ideas of good and evil. In this image the blinds create an eerie atmosphere and create tension between the two characters. The use of light and shadow is a binary opposite and is very effective in this particular scene.

This scene is set in a police office and uses binary opposites once again to help set the story and connote ideas and themes. This police station is very messy and unorganized with people standing everywhere this is the opposite of what a police station should be to function correctly. This shot tells us that the police are unorganized or unstable. The high angle or aerial shot makes the police station seem insignificant. The lighting is non ambient and strong beams of light cascade through the windows. The strong lighting from the windows contrasts with the left side of the shot where there is very little light.

This image is very interesting. A new character is introduced dressed in a formal suit a woman with blonde hair and bright red lips. This character fits the usual style of the Femme Fatale; the red lips imply a seductress. The woman is very attractive in comparison to the man standing next to her who fits the specifications for a film noir hero/villain. These two characters are binary opposites of one another because the women is short blonde and dressed in a light coloured suit where as the male characters is tall and dressed in a dark suit which connotes corruption or moral ambiguity. The lighting in this occasion suits the mood of the image which is unusual for an L.A noir.



In conclusion Binary opposites are items or elements in the mise en scene they can be anything from lighting contrasts to contrasting themes or ideas such as a corrupt police officer. Binary opposites are a reoccurring theme in L.A. noir and film noir because it is very successful at creating ideas of conflict and quickly and successfully set up tension and enigma to hold the audiences attention.

Chiaroscuro Lighting

Chiaroscuro lighting is a term to describe the contrast between light and dark it was originally a term used to describe art, however the developing media world transformed this and began using chiaroscuro lighting in film. This was the idea of using strong light and dark shadows to create a contrast. The third man uses the method of chiaroscuro lighting to create a dark feel and make the film more eerie. Frank millers Sin City also used this idea or dark and light. Chiaroscuro lighting can also be used to connote good and evil through lighting different objects or characters in either shadow or light. Chiaroscuro lighting is frequently used in film noir because it is very effective in monochrome film, this is because obviously colours cant be used to highlight good and evil for example an evil character dressed in black or a seductress dressed in red, through using chiaroscuro lighting characters can be defined without colours making it very popular in film noir. To improve the effectiveness of chiaroscuro lighting it is often combined with wet streets or in raining scenes because the water reflects the light and casts interesting shadows which can be used to symbolise corruption or unpredictability of either the characters or the plot line. Not only is water added to increase the effectiveness of the lighting but smoke is commonly used because bright light can be cast onto the smoke making it appear white which increases the contrast between the shadows and the light.

This is a screen shot from ‘double indemnity’This is a perfect example of chiaroscuro lighting as it features dark shadows and an extremely bright Smokey background which connotes the ideas of confliction between good and evil. The strong silhouettes of the two characters create enigma and mystery and get the audience to question who the characters are and what their relationship is. All of this affects are created by chiaroscuro lighting which is very commonly used in film noir because of the results achieved.