THE CREW
UK, 2008, 117 minutes, Colour.
Scot Williams, Kenny Doughty, Rory Mc Cann, Stephen Graham, Cordelia Bugeja, Philip Olivier, Rosie Felner, Raza Jaffrey.
Directed by Adrian Vitoria.
For more than ten years, many film-makers in the British film industry have had a fixation on making gangster films. So many small budget films, so many from first time directors. They tend to show a brutal side of British life, an amoral world of criminals. Some of them have qualities but the films tend to be lost in the welter of similar productions.
The Crew is another of these films. However, it is better made than the average. The director has worked on television series and knows how to tell a story and create atmosphere. This atmosphere is Liverpool and the old style crews who were into burglary and hold-ups, who even had their own hierarchies and codes of respect, some honour among thieves. In the 21st century, things are not the same at all. The younger members of the crews want to make it big for themselves and have few qualms about loyalty and betrayal and murder of rivals does not seem to bother them at all. Their trouble is they think they are smarter than others and this is their undoing unless they are completely ruthless. Another complication is the gangs moving in from the continent, especially from Eastern Europe, who have had longer histories of factions, war and brutality and have no qualms about muscling in in new territories. It's no wonder that the criminals from the old school are either bent on consolidating, no matter what, or are sick of it and want out.
That is what The Crew is about. It opens with a failed robbery. It ends with an elaborate repeat of the robbery with success for some and death for others.
The film captures an atmosphere of a part of Liverpool. The criminals are now better off, live in better houses and apartments – and can celebrate the First Communion party of the son of one of their members. It looks as if the Serbs have the sleazier locations and premises.
This is also the story of two brothers, Ged and John Paul Brennan (Scot Williams and Kenny Doughty). Ged is the boss of the crew, but who feels that his luck is running out and now feels some responsibility towards his little boy. His wife has a cocaine habit and is easily misled by smooth-talking neighbours, as is Ged, who are white collar fraud criminals. John Paul (nicknamed Ratter) is envious of his older brother and, along with an obnoxious sidekick (Paul Olivier) sets calamity in motion with his wanting to get into drug dealing and to oust his brother.
All of the characters have their unpleasant side and it is hard to identify with any of them, which means that the audience is observing rather than empathising. The screenplay does not underplay the vicious violence, the sexual indulgence of the characters nor their callow and crass language.
One of the better films of the genre but many will find its characters and situations repellent.
1.The many UK gangster films of the 1990s and 21st century? Comparisons with American gangster films? Asian gangster films?
2.The Liverpool settings, the middle-class world, the world of criminals, sleazy aspects, clubs, warehouses? The contrast with the ordinary streets, homes? The cityscapes across the river? The musical score?
3.The title, reminder of old-style gangs and crews? The crew and their bosses, hierarchy and loyalty? Involved in holdups and burglary? The change in criminal activity, drug dealing, the eastern Europeans, especially the Serbs, the outsiders coming in? The different codes? The Serbs and their not having the British way of doing things? The younger British generation, self-centred, betrayals? The moral perspective of the characters in this film?
4.The opening, the holdup, the crew, waiting, the truck, masks, guns? The empty trucks? The treatment of the driver? The result?
5.The focus on Jed: his life, marriage with Debs, his son, at home with his family, going to work, not being able to drive his son, sending him to a posh school? His decision to repay his friends after the failure of the heist? Debs’ reaction? Later in the day, Pam’s visit, the cocaine? Jed and the meetings, the plans, his not wanting to deal with drugs, his relationship with his brother? The crew meeting to discuss, their stances? His clash with Paul and with John Paul? The friendship with Keith and Pam, the meetings, the land site, his being persuaded to invest, his not telling the other members, his wariness with Debs and Keith and Pam, inviting them to the party?
6.Jed and the meeting, Paul and his pitch, John Paul setting it all up, sending Paul in, the argument? The complication with the death of Leo, suspicions? At the barbecue, the clash with John Paul, the fistfight? Keith? Moby as a member of the crew, unreliable? Jed having to save him, the duel and fight? Jed’s relationship with Franner and the hierarchy of the gangs? Jed and the crisis with Debs giving the money to Keith and Pam, losing the money, the empty house? Wanting out? Richie and Leo’s murder? The new job, the last? Planning with Jimmy? The change of plan and robbing the first load, setting up the Serbs? Success, the celebration? His permitting his brother’s death, not being his keeper? His relationship with Debs after the success, the final of seeing him going to Spain to confront Keith? Leaving it to the audience’s imagination?
7.John Paul, part of the crew, his love of guns, his relationship with Paul, sending Paul into the crew’s meeting, the set-up, arguments about the drugs, failure with his plan? The fact that he had arranged the killing of Leo? Using Richie? His envy of his brother, his self-centredness, the fight at the barbecue? Paul and the couple in the loft, sexual behaviour? His further plans with the Serbs, not having the money, trying to keep control, the discussions with Franner? The betrayal, the change of the date for the heist, his being missing? With Franner, his death?
8.Paul, his personality, edgy and frantic, his friendship with John Paul, trying to set up Jed for the drug deals, his being ousted? His sexual orientation and behaviour? With the Serbs? The confrontation with Franner, running and being shot?
9.Moby, sexual preoccupation, the plan for the First Communion party, his going to the large prostitute, his place in the gang, friendship with Jed, drinking too much, Jed trying to control him? His anger with the Serbs, the challenge to the duel, the fight? The First Communion party? The end and the success of the heist?
10.Franner, his working with Leo, his place in the hierarchy, his giving permissions? Searching for Leo’s killer, the kids and information, paying them? The discussions with Paul? With Jed – and the permit to kill John Paul?
11.Keith, smooth, white-collar respectability, Pam, her seduction of Debs, the cocaine? The fraud and its success? Getting all the money?
12.Debs, at home, her relationship with Jed, concerned about the money, the cocaine, seduced by Pam, willingly giving her the money?
13.The Serbs, the club, sleazy, the drugs, John Paul trying to do a deal, the fight, the duel with Moby, at the final heist and their being tricked?
14.The various members of the crew, the meetings, loyalties and codes?
15.The final robbery, the set-up, the tricks for the Serbs, Jimmy, the success and the robbery?
16.The open end as Jed goes to Spain? The overall impact of this kind of film, unpleasant characters, an immoral and amoral world? Observing rather than empathising?
