Martin Scorsese Recommends Two British Gangster Films Everyone Should See

Martin Scorsese is known around the world for making some of the most iconic gangster movies ever, but when it comes to films he enjoys, he’s not just looking at American crime stories. In fact, he’s a big fan of British gangster films too.

Most people know Scorsese from hits like Mean Streets and Goodfellas, which brought a raw and personal touch to mafia stories. He has a real gift for exploring the lives and emotions of complex characters, even in long and intense stories.

Goodfellas is over two hours long, but every character feels real and important. That’s part of what makes his work stand out.

Scorsese has always had a deep love for the gangster genre. But his interest goes beyond the New York mob. In a chat with director Edgar Wright for the British Film Institute (BFI), Scorsese shared his love for a couple of British crime films. He pointed out two that made a strong impression on him: The Long Good Friday and Down Terrace.

“There’s a toughness in the British style that doesn’t have any room for compromise,” he said in the interview. Just watch them.

The Long Good Friday, which came out in 1980, stars Bob Hoskins as a crime boss in London whose empire starts to fall apart. His character, Harold Shand, is suspicious and violent, stopping at nothing to find out who’s behind the attacks on his business. Helen Mirren plays his girlfriend, and both actors were praised for their performances. The film is seen as a classic in the British gangster world and has influenced many films that came after, including Guy Ritchie’s crime movies.

Down Terrace, a much smaller and more recent film, was released in 2009. Directed by Ben Wheatley, it tells the story of a father and son just out of prison who try to find out who betrayed them. It’s a dark, weird, and very British film that mixes crime and comedy in a way that’s hard to forget. While it didn’t make as much noise as bigger-budget crime films, Scorsese clearly sees something special in it.

Scorsese also talked about what makes British gangster films stand out. He thinks it comes down to the people and the history behind them.

It seems to me it’s in the behaviour of the characters. I think a lot of it has to do with the roots of the underworld in England, he said. Going back to Cornwall, wrecking ships, the whole village being in on the destruction in order to take the cargo – Jamaica Inn, basically.

He added, There’s a strong, mean edge to it, and the characters are hardened. It comes from hundreds of years of being hardened. You go back to the highwaymen, you go back to Dick Turpin, you go back to all of that.

So while Scorsese might be the master of American crime films, his appreciation for British gangster stories shows just how wide his love for cinema really is. If he recommends something, it’s probably worth checking out.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!