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.
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