A Very British Gangster
June 16th 2008 09:34
A Very British Gangster (2007) screening at the 55th Sydney Film Festival is ultimately less about Noonan and his extended clan and more about the dire situation that is the world we live in, or to be precise, the Madchester I’m glad I don’t live in! The poor part of Manchester where Noonan was born and raised is a rough and very dangerous place. There are even feral kids which has urged director MacIntyre to delve further into that particular social disease, but that’s another story.
Dominic Noonan has spent a large part of his 37 years behind bars for a variety of serious crimes, but has never been done for murder, although linked to several gangland killings. His older brother Desmond, on the other hand, is a hitman, and proud of it. He’s also a crack addict.
Dominic Noonan, Manchester career criminal
Dominic Noonan and crew
The camerawork is impressive, with numerous swooping crane shots over the red-hued roofs of those dirty back streets. But it is this glamour-style of shooting set-ups which begs the question; just how genuine are some of the other scenes? How much is being put on for the camera? I’m not insinuating that Noonan is some kind of charlatan, far from it, but the big camera action is hardly cinéma-vérité.
The soundtrack is equally impressive, mostly Brit indie songs (Oasis’s Wonderwall is put to good use), with some dub, dancehall and house thrown in for good measure. ‘Tis a pity then there were no song credits at film’s end. Not sure why either, unless the screener I saw was not the final cut and copyright clearance was still being sought for some titles. Of curious note, subtitles are used frequently, as the accents are indeed rather impenetrable at times.
Manchester, dark and dangerous
It is the clout which Dominic Noonan possesses and his position as an utterly reprehensible role-model which strikes the biggest discord. This is the urban nightmare at the heart of the documentary and what does it mean for the future of British disaffected youth? It's a very grim reality and A Very British Gangster is a very scary indictment.
A Very British Gangster screening time at Sydney Film Festival:
Wednesday 18 June 4:00pm - State Theatre, Market Street
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