History Main / LondonGangster

* ''Film/CloudAtlas'': Timothy Cavendish is the literary agent for loutish gangster Dermot "Duster"[[note]]as in knuckle duster[[/note]] Hoggins, whose failed biography "Knuckle Sandwich" suddenly becomes a surprise hit after he throws a literary critic off the balcony at a literary event because of a snarky review, making a lot of money for Tim and sending Duster to prison. His three brothers, fellow gangsters all, then show up to collect Duster's share from Cavendish, forcing him to go into hiding.

** In ''Film/MonaLisa'', he plays George, a low-level working-class gangster recently released from prison, is given a job in London by his former boss, Denny Mortwell (Creator/MichaelCaine), as the driver and bodyguard for a high-priced prostitute named Simone.

* Creator/BobHoskins as Harold Shand in ''Film/TheLongGoodFriday''. He actually got a letter of congratulations from Ronnie Kray for his portrayal.
* In ''Film/MonaLisa'', George (Creator/BobHoskins), a low-level working-class gangster recently released from prison, is given a job in London by his former boss, Denny Mortwell (Creator/MichaelCaine), as the driver and bodyguard for a high-priced prostitute named Simone.

* The works of Creator/GuyRitchie are overflowing with London Gangsters. Often they have Kray-clones as the BigBad, such as Brick Top in ''Film/{{Snatch}}'' ([[GreaterScopeVillain who himself answers to a pair of gangsters apparently higher up the ladder]]), Hatchet Harry in ''Film/LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels'' (which does at least include Scouse burglars and upper-class drug dealers as well), and BaldOfEvil hard man "Miami Vice" in spinoff series ''Series/LockStock''. Also PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Lenny Cole in ''Film/RockNRolla'' and VillainProtagonist "H" in ''Film/WrathOfMan''. He broadens his range somewhat in ''Film/TheGentlemen'' by introducing TheMafiya, TheTriadsAndTheTongs, an Irish criminal coach played by Creator/ColinFarrell and his multiracial gang of [=MMA=] fighters, and American weed magnate protagonist Mickey (played by Creator/MatthewMcConaughey). Even [[Film/KingArthurLegendOfTheSword King Arthur was one!]], before he found out he was a HiddenBackupPrince.

* ''Film/CloudAtlas'': Timothy Cavendish is the literary agent for a loutish gangster Dermot "Dusty" Hoggins whose biography "Knuckle Sandwhich" becomes a surprise hit after he throws a literary critic off the balcony at the book's launch because of a snarky review, making a lot of money to Tim and sending Dusty to prison.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' [[RaceLift reimagines]] Brick, who in the comics is an African-American kingpin, as a Creator/RayWinstone-esque white East London hard man who is inexplicably immune to being shot in the head and beats his henchmen to death with his bare hands for failing him. He's so tough that in prison Bronze Tiger, an internationally renowned assassin; and Sampson, an unkillable zombie who [[FeelNoPain can't feel pain]], are his CoDragons.

* Despite being an arty hallucinogenic MindScrew, ''Film/{{Performance}}'' has been praised as a very realistic depiction of the London Gangster at work. Some of the minor parts were allegedly played by [[CastTheExpert the real thing]]. (The main gangster character was played by James Fox, very [[PlayingAgainstType Against Type]].) The boss in the film, Harry Flowers, is a CompositeCharacter NoCelebritiesWereHarmed for both the Richardsons (ColdBloodedTorture) and the Krays ({{Gayngster}}, intra-gang violence).

Occasionally a particularly transparent ShoutOut to the Krays will go as far as featuring tropes from their lives, like BigBadDuumvirate, SiblingsInCrime, CreepyTwins, EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas, and {{Gayngster}}. As you might have gathered, the Kray twins are iconic in the UK -- Britain's answer to UsefulNotes/AlCapone.

* The second series of Creator/{{ITV}} drama ''Series/{{Whitechapel}}'' is all about London Gangsters as the apparent sons of Ronnie Kray, Jimmy and Johnny, attempt to take over the criminal underworld.

The London Gangster is a hard man in a sharp suit with a fondness for {{Cluster F Bomb}}s and CountryMatters (including both mistresses and members of TheOldestProfession). He'll tend to prefer roughing people up with his bare hands (often including [[PowerFist brass knuckles]] as well), everyday items (cricket bats, [[PipePain lumps of lead pipe]], crowbars, snooker balls in socks, etc.) and good old-fashioned [[KnifeNut knives]] to using handguns (gun control being very strict in the UK[[note]] Whilst it would be possible for handguns to be smuggled in, in certain cases acquired legally, or via the black market, the other reason these gangsters don't use guns is that gun crimes in the UK are extremely low compared to the US. Whilst a gun-based homicide could be common in the US, and therefore not looked into as thoroughly, British police don't get as many shootings as stabbings, and so investigate shootings more thoroughly, as there is a higher chance the gun was acquired illegally. Not using a gun also helps these characters keep the heat off.[[/note]]), although shotguns, which can be obtained in Britain, may be used (shotguns became an iconic UK gang weapon in ''Film/{{Get Carter|1971}}''). [[note]]https://crimereads.com/fifty-years-later-get-carter-is-still-the-iconic-british-gangster-film[[/note]] Nonetheless, ColdBloodedTorture isn't at all out of the question and the '''really''' nasty ones in fiction have a tendency to be {{Psycho Knife Nut}}s, with cut-throat razors being an early-to mid-1900s favorite. He speaks in a working class East London, Cockney or South London accent, and his dense slang may feature a little [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage Yiddish]].[[note]]The East End of London traditionally had a large Jewish population, and some London Gangsters, like HistoricalDomainCharacter Jack Spot from ''Film/OnceUponATimeInLondon'' and the fictional Harry Stark, are [[KosherNostra Jews]].[[/note]]

The London Gangster is a hard man in a sharp suit with a fondness for {{Cluster F Bomb}}s and CountryMatters (including both mistresses and members of TheOldestProfession). He'll tend to prefer roughing people up with his bare hands (often including [[PowerFist brass knuckles]] as well) or everyday items (cricket bats, [[PipePain lumps of lead pipe]], crowbars, snooker balls in socks, etc.) to using handguns (gun control being very strict in the UK[[note]] Whilst it would be possible for handguns to be smuggled in, in certain cases acquired legally, or via the black market, the other reason these gangsters don't use guns is that gun crimes in the UK are extremely low compared to the US. Whilst a gun-based homicide could be common in the US, and therefore not looked into as thoroughly, British police don't get as many shootings as stabbings, and so investigate shootings more thoroughly, as there is a higher chance the gun was acquired illegally. Not using a gun also helps these characters keep the heat off.[[/note]]), although shotguns, which can be obtained in Britain, may be used (shotguns became an iconic UK gang weapon in ''Film/{{Get Carter|1971}}''). [[note]]https://crimereads.com/fifty-years-later-get-carter-is-still-the-iconic-british-gangster-film[[/note]] Nonetheless, ColdBloodedTorture isn't at all out of the question and the '''really''' nasty ones in fiction have a tendency to be {{Psycho Knife Nut}}s, with cut-throat razors being an early-to mid-1900s favorite. He speaks in a working class East London, Cockney or South London accent, and his dense slang may feature a little [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage Yiddish]].[[note]]The East End of London traditionally had a large Jewish population, and some London Gangsters, like HistoricalDomainCharacter Jack Spot from ''Film/OnceUponATimeInLondon'' and the fictional Harry Stark, are [[KosherNostra Jews]].[[/note]]

* The works of Creator/GuyRitchie are overflowing with London Gangsters. Often they have Kray-clones as the BigBad, such as Brick Top in ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', Hatchet Harry in ''Film/LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels'' (which does at least include Scouse burglars and upper-class drug dealers as well), and BaldOfEvil hard man "Miami Vice" in spinoff series ''Series/LockStock''. Also PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Lenny Cole in ''Film/RockNRolla'' and VillainProtagonist "H" in ''Film/WrathOfMan''. He broadens his range somewhat in ''Film/TheGentlemen'' by introducing TheMafiya, TheTriadsAndTheTongs, an Irish criminal coach played by Creator/ColinFarrell and his multiracial gang of [=MMA=] fighters, and American weed magnate protagonist Mickey (played by Creator/MatthewMcConaughey). Even [[Film/KingArthurLegendOfTheSword King Arthur was one!]], before he found out he was a HiddenBackupPrince.

The London Gangster is a hard man in a sharp suit with a fondness for {{Cluster F Bomb}}s and CountryMatters (including both mistresses and members of TheOldestProfession). He'll tend to prefer roughing people up with his bare hands (often including [[PowerFist brass knuckles]] as well) or everyday items (cricket bats, [[PipePain lumps of lead pipe]], crowbars, snooker balls in socks, etc.) to using handguns (gun control being very strict in the UK[[note]] Whilst it would be possible for handguns to be smuggled in, in certain cases acquired legally, or via the black market, the other reason these gangsters don't use guns is that gun crimes in the UK are extremely low compared to the US. Whilst a gun-based homicide could be common in the US, and therefore not looked into as thoroughly, British police don't get as many shootings as stabbings, and so investigate shootings more thoroughly, as there is a higher chance the gun was acquired illegally. Not using a gun also helps these characters keep the heat off.[[/note]]), although shotguns, which can be obtained in Britain, may be used (shotguns became an iconic UK gang weapon in ''Film/GetCarter''). [[note]]https://crimereads.com/fifty-years-later-get-carter-is-still-the-iconic-british-gangster-film[[/note]] Nonetheless, ColdBloodedTorture isn't at all out of the question and the '''really''' nasty ones in fiction have a tendency to be {{Psycho Knife Nut}}s, with cut-throat razors being an early-to mid-1900s favorite. He speaks in a working class East London, Cockney or South London accent, and his dense slang may feature a little [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage Yiddish]].[[note]]The East End of London traditionally had a large Jewish population, and some London Gangsters, like HistoricalDomainCharacter Jack Spot from ''Film/OnceUponATimeInLondon'' and the fictional Harry Stark, are [[KosherNostra Jews]].[[/note]]

* Creator/MichaelCaine in ''Film/GetCarter'' plays a London Gangster who returns home OopNorth for a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. The film is slightly atypical for showing English organized crime outside of London, but the locals are clearly no match for Jack Carter.

%%* Music/{{Madness}}'s "Drip Fed Fred", and more seriously "[=NW5=]".