American travelers are often struck by the fact that no matter how much another country resembles ours, countless things are just a bit different: Plumbing fixtures take some figuring out, store hours are mysterious, and sometimes the frites arrive with mayonnaise.
So it is with gangster movies.
The genre was invented in this country in the 1930s. Although the form has evolved since “Little Caesar” and “The Public Enemy,” much of the template survives in contemporary classics like the “Godfather” films, “Goodfellas” and “The Sopranos,” HBO’s small-screen gem now in its home stretch.
But gangster movies also are staples in other countries. And while they feature violent men who deal out – and often meet – bad ends, American viewers will find stark departures from Hollywood mob conventions.
From the underworld lingo to codes of honor to the choice of weaponry, a foreign gangster film is the cinematic equivalent of a foreign meal: tasty, but with some new twists.
Here’s a quick guide – by no means all-inclusive – for movie fans interested in what happens when crime films go global. These movies are on DVD with subtitles or dubbing.
The Long Good Friday: One of the best gangster movies in recent memory, this 1980 British film put Bob Hoskins on the map. Hoskins plays Harold Shand, a London mob boss whose empire unravels over an Easter weekend when an underling runs afoul of the IRA.
The film is a study in the similar-but-different thesis. There’s the slang: “grass” for “snitch,” “ponce” for “pimp.” The restricted access to guns is also reflected. American screen gangsters often seem outfitted by a Marine recon team. When Shand arms his boyos, they choose from a motley pile of sawed-off shotguns and revolvers that look like Boer War leftovers.
The movie abounds in great performances, including a fine turn by Helen Mirren as Shand’s mistress. And the final scene is unforgettable: A two-minute close-up of Shand’s bulldog face as he silently passes through a dozen emotions, bound for eternity.
The Krays: A 1990 British film inspired by the true story of crime lords Ronald and Reggie Kray, who ruled the London underworld in the 1960s and moved in celebrity circles.
Beyond being a top-drawer film and study in criminal pathology, “The Krays” is a fascinating look at a post-World War II London far beyond the tony confines of Hampstead.
Brothers Gary and Martin Kemp play the Krays, but acting honors belong to Billie Whitelaw as the boys’ ferocious mum.
Sexy Beast: Ray Winstone is Gal Dove, a retired safecracker coerced into leaving his comfy digs in sunny Spain for the proverbial one last job. Ian McShane of HBO’s “Deadwood” plays the London boss who needs Gal’s services; Ben Kingsley is the muscle dispatched to retrieve him.
Kingsley’s Don Logan is a force of nature, a true sociopath sporting a gleaming skull and satanic goatee. He is the anti-Gandhi, and when he turns his rage on the affable Gal, audiences quail too. Released in 2000.
Rififi : Now for a look at the French underworld, which Americans only got a glimpse of in “The French Connection.” “Rififi” – the word means “brawling” – is a 1955 classic. (The original title was “Du rififi chez les hommes.”)
It’s not a true gangster flick, but an excellent heist movie and dead-on character study. Directed by Jules Dassin, who helmed such Hollywood noir films as “The Naked City.” In black-and-white, naturellement.
Bob le Flambeur: Another French heist film from 1955. Roger Duchesne is the compulsive gambler of the title, a popular rake whose long winning streak has hit the skids. Desperate to pay off debts, he organizes a robbery of the Deauville casino on Grand Prix weekend. No, things don’t go as planned. The movie boasts a cool, restrained vibe – this is vintage Bordeaux, not cheap chianti in a Brooklyn red-sauce joint. The great directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut cited this movie as an influence.
Sin Pelos en la Lengua – Highly regarded 2004 film from Mexico about a rural sheriff who takes on the head of a drug cartel. Not unlike Eliot Ness taking on Al Capone in Chicago, the idealistic sheriff finds he needs to be as ruthless as his opponent. Starring Agustin Bernal, Bernabe Melendrez and Jorge Victoria. A bonus you’ll never get in a U.S. gangster film: a cameo by the Norteño group Los Originales de San Juan.
A Better Tomorrow: John Woo directed this 1986 film about two brothers, one a master counterfeiter trying to go straight, the other a Hong Kong cop fresh from the police academy. Violent set pieces abound, and if you’re wondering where those two-gun, slo-mo shootout scenes started, look no further.
Shanghai Triad: Somewhat underappreciated, this 1995 Chinese gangster film won a prize for cinematography at Cannes. Directed by Zhang Yimou and starring the actress Gong Li, “Shanghai Triad” is set partly in a lush cabaret, with much of the action seen through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy.
Sonatine: An instant classic upon its 1993 release, this gorgeous film is a riveting study of Japan’s yakuza, mobsters who are a subculture unto themselves. In this shadow world, the men are cold-blooded ciphers whose black suits hide full-body tattoos. But there’s no hiding the missing digits on their hands, sliced off by a tanto, the traditional fighting knife, as a self-imposed apology for any professional failure. The great “Beat” Takeshi stars.
Staff writer William Porter can be reached at 303-954-1877 or at wporter@denverpost.com.
