Small Faces (1996) is a Scottish film directed by Gillies MacKinnon about gangs in 1960s Glasgow.
Three teenage brothers, gang-member Bobby, troubled mama's boy Alan and self-assured prankster Lex, reside in a downtrodden section of Glasgow, Scotland, circa 1968. As Bobby and Alan are beginning to experience the power of raging hormones, the story focuses on Lex, who begins a downward spiral after he accidentally injures the leader of Bobby's gang with an airgun. Lex's cockiness and immaturity unfortunately prevent him from understanding the effect his subsequent crimes will have on both himself, and on those around him.
Not to be confused with the Mod band The Small Faces.
Tropes present in this film include:
- Affably Evil: Charlie Sloan. While Malkie is an obvious-a-mile-off Violent Glaswegian, Charlie is a well-dressed, affable bloke with a decent collection of literature he's happy to lend you. Illustrated nicely by his greeting Lex with outstretched arms after he screws up a raid, only to give him a ruthless Glasgow Kiss.
- Battle Cry: the Real Life "Ya bass!" According to The Other Wiki, this is "not an abbreviation of "bastard", but a corruption of the ancient Scottish Gaelic expression for "battle and die""
- Gangbangers: The Glen and the Tongs. (No, not those Tongs)
- Glasgow Kiss: A few times; notably Charlie to Lex in a moment of You Have Failed Me.
- Klingon Promotion: Gorbals:seems to assume this is the case within their gang, though we never find out if he's right.
- Improvised Weapon: Malkie's razorblades akimbo, Bobby's brick...
- Real Men Wear Pink: Charlie, with his moddish fashion sense, book collection and fondness for ice-skating.
- Violent Glaswegian: It's a gangland movie set in Glasgow - what do you expect?
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: A group of girls pick a fight with Fabio, and when he refuses to rise to the bait start pushing and hitting him, backing him into a corner. When a bunch of the Glen walk past the girls call for help, and he gets beaten to a pulp.
