Intentionally or not, Nicola Collins's filmed interviews with various old-school East End geezers give us a fair idea of their sentimentality, paranoia, smugness and flashes of humour.
- The End
- Production year: 2008
- Countries: Rest of the world, UK
- Cert (UK): 15
- Runtime: 81 mins
- Directors: Jeremy Thomas, Nicola Collins
- Cast: Bobby Reading, Ella May, Jeremy Thomas, Jimmy Tibbs, John Knight, Katie Webber, Les Falco, Victor Dark
Collins directs, sister Teena produces, and the star turn is their dad Les Falco, a retired career-crim who has given them an entree to other gangsters. Their crimes are coyly left undescribed, and the film is content to take the interviewees at their own lenient estimation of themselves; they remember being "bullied" as quiet youngsters, but have no recollection of being bullies.
They hint grimly at how their east London manor is now sadly declined (cut to shots of black people) and they chunter on about the cheerful poverty and community spirit of the old days.
The resulting film has some interest as a set of case-studies in sociopathic conceit. As for being adorable characters, I recall author Jake Arnott's insight: these guys were surrounded by people who pretended to be mightily pleased to see them - to mask their fear.