Grimy British Crime

The Crew 2008
Director: Adrian Vitoria
Writers: Ian Brady and Adrian Vitoria
Starring Scot Williams, Kenny Doughty, Rory McCann, Stephen Graham, Neil Bell, Cordelia Bugela, Alison Cain and Paul Lee

British crime Films are some of my favorites in the action genre. Films like Snatch, Get Carter (the original, not the aborted Stallone version) and the Limey are some of my favorite examples from this genre. The Crew is not as exemplary as those films but it is constructed very well with a lively cast of characters that you become roped into as you are drawn into the story. It tries to be misleading like The Usual Suspects, but it is not in that films caliber. The pace is very brisk and you are always intrigued by what is happening on screen and you wonder if all the characters will remain in one piece when it is over. It can be very violent at times, as well as immersing itself deeply into sexual depravity. Definitely a film that does not pull any punches and for that I applaud it.
The plot basics are this, a crew of hardened criminals are looking for that one last big heist that will pay them huge dividends and allow them to retire from their shady practices. Ged (Williams) and Ratter (Doughty) are brothers who have big plans for the crew. They have opposite viewpoints though, Ged wants out while Ratter wants to branch out into the drug trade. Ratter needs Ged to complete this final heist, but he works angles behind his back as they grow closer to the date of the crime. Things begin to spiral out of control and it will take all of Ged's savvy to survive intact at the end of the day.
This is a gripping and exciting film. The direction by Vitoria is frenetic and paced very well. The way he films some of the scenes are really amazing. I especially liked the one where it switches back and forth between Moby having sex with a prostitute while Ratter and a cohort beat the crap out of some drug addicts. It is jarring and mesmerizing at the same time. The action sequences are handled ably well too. The script is very good too. It has many twists and turns, and the only complaint I would make is that I saw them all coming too easily. The motivations and what all the characters did was not surprising in the least. The cast is very strong. Williams as Ged always has the main viewpoint, so you side with him for most of the film and you want him to succeed. Doughty as Ratter, plays him as a unrepentant, opportunistic douchebag and that plays out well. I also loved McCann as Moby. He stole every scene he was in, as Ratter's enforcer who is more obsessed with online porn and sex, he is a delight to watch. The SFX and the action sequences were great. The film gets really bloody at times and really wallows in it. While, the gun fights and chase scenes are pulled off very well and I hope to see more by Vitoria in the action genre. If you dig seedy British crime films that really tap into the underbelly of this genre, seek this one out.
This one gets 4 out of 5