A Very British Gangster $6.99
In A Very British Gangster, world-renowned, award-winning BBC journalist Donal MacIntyre dives into Manchester's underworld, revealing Britain's most notorious and powerful crime family--the Noonan dynasty. With surprising chivalry, Dominic Noonan answers to his poverty-stricken streets while lurking from trial to trial, dodging arrest on a slew of serious criminal charges. Dominic's 10-year-old son, Bugsy, wants none of the prestige his father holds, and his candid confessions…
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Last updated: December 23, 2009, 5:40 am
A Very British Gangster Customer reviews:
Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 5
(Margaux Paschke, 2009-09-26) I was amazed at this well rounded documentary of an English crime boss. In this film we meet Dominick Noonan (a member of a powerful crime family in Manchester, England) and learn the story of his life through his own words, judicious editing and clever interviewing. At first, Noonan seems like the type of guy you'd like to have a few pints with as he tells these amazing tales in an engaging manner. But you then remember his stories are facts, not tales, and sometimes involve grisly violence. This film does an amazing job of picturing Dominick as an amiable fellow one moment and in the next, flashes of the brutal man underneath. I have no idea how the BBC journalist, Donal MacIntyre, got the amount of access he did to this lifestyle without consequences. My only complaint is that the dvd extras were deleted scenes and I would have preferred to see a commentary of this extraordinary film.
(Tommy V, 2009-07-01) Though I'm not much for documentaries, a friend recommended this flick so I gave it a shot and enjoyed it immensely. A very human face is painted on an otherwise historically vicious neighborhood gangster such that you almost feel sorry for him .. but not quite. If you're the type of person who likes the concept of people who live in a neighborhood looking out for the neighborhood, you'll enjoy this documentary.
(Bradley F. Smith, 2009-03-27) There's a real disconnect here between the violent lives led by the gangsters in this documentary and their seemingly benign personalities as depicted in the film. It's difficult to believe that the head gangster is as vicious as he is portrayed. Also, why would he allow a film crew in to see all that he does? There are seeming confessions to certain types of lawless bahaviour, so this was reckless of the gangsters involved. Still, you'll get a real look at the tawdry side of British criminal life. The characters all seem to be nearly subhuman in their criminality. A great piece of work.
(Bernard Chapin, 2008-12-27) Despite being an American, I'm very interested in England and am a bit of an Anglophile so I generally gravitate towards the country's films. A Very British Gangster was an exceptional documentary that revealed the full complexity of a man whose life seems to have already been decided. We discover at the end of it that he is going back to jail but his attitude and everything about his character suggest that his final destination is a foregone conclusion. The police follow him everywhere and it's quite likely that the filmmaker was not the only individual who recorded many of these conversations. What we find most is that Dominic Noonan is, in many ways, a normal man with a variety of relationships and concerns that must be negotiated. Most of his criminality is merely hinted at here, but it seems very unlikely that--even if he is re-released--he will conjure up the will to change his life. This is an endearing and well-crafted portrait of a doomed man.
(Amos Lassen, 2008-10-15) "A Very British Gangster" The Story of Dominick Noonan Amos Lassen Dominick Noonan is the head of Manchester, England's most powerful and most notorious crime family and is the center of Donal MacIntyre's powerful documentary, "A Very British Gangster". He has been behind bars more times than he has been a free man. In this amazing film, we learn how he got his reputation but we see another side to Noonan as well--his decency, Noonan just lived on the wrong side of the law. Noonan is not a typical crime lord. He wears no fancy suits; he is a man who wears cheap clothes and fake jewelry. We learn that he lives poorly even though he has stolen millions. "A Very British Gangster" also looks at life of the poor in Manchester where small time crooks make money from petty crimes and where they bring about fear in the lives of those that live there. Noonan comes across as being a mobster who can talk a blue streak. He is the head of a powerful crime family and a community leader (seems incongruous). He runs drugs, he extorts, he murders and he robs banks. He is a criminal and he knows how to win court cases. He is a dangerous man yet he is proud of what he does. Noonan has spent 22 years in jail yet he has a certain charisma and seems jovial most of the time. He is openly gay who has a young posse and loves karaoke. Noonan's son, Bugsy, and other youngsters worship him but do not want to enter the world of crime. MacIntrye's documentary is fascinating--it is a film about dangerous people who come across as all too human. "A Very British Gangster" is not your usual movie.