My last review on this site was THE FALLEN which I have no hesitation in stating is the most unforgettably harrowing and poignant documentary I have ever seen . It's somewhat poetic that my next review is GANGSTERS which developed in to the most bizarre piece of television ever produced . The original PFT doesn't hint at this however . Indeed if you know what happens next then you'll be painfully aware that this original PLAY FOR TODAY was produced as a self contained drama and not as a pilot . This makes it some what difficult to review , not to mention distracting . When a character mentions " My name's John Kline not John Wayne " you'll find this is somewhat contradicted in the later series
Certainly it does have strong points and you can see the potential in this one off drama . According to the DVD commentary this was the highest rated PFT up till that time . Gangster movies don't draw much acclaim from critics with notable exceptions like THE GODFATHER and GOODFELLAS , but they are hugely popular with the public . It's easy to see the influences . It has the classic gangster fundamentals - one of immigrant/ethnic minorities arriving in a country trying to pursue the capitalist dream by illegal means . It also has strong French New Wave influences . Unfortunately it also has the faults of the genre in that there's very little in the way of character development but most of the cast do try . Interesting that there's a bit of a GET CARTER feel to the story . Is this because it's a revenge thriller is it because Colbourne seems to be aping Michael Caine ? Elizabeth Cassidy is outstanding as the female lead and let's forget no one in those days played a junkie because drug addiction was fairly unknown . Barber and Jaffrey are good and the only bad performance ( IMHO ) is Paul Satvender who never convinces as a violent Asian thug
Birmingham may seem like a strange location to film a thriller but it's a very appropriate setting . I passed through there last year for a weekend in Stratford Upon Avon and I must say that it's one of the ugliest places I've ever visited , a city of concrete buildings and ugly facades , multi storey car parks , walkways and run down industrial estates . One can't help thinking what a simple but effective idea it would be for producers to think about setting a drama in a location that matches narrative . Certainly GANGSTERS has a great sensation of time and place
There is a problem in that much of this is now dated more than 30 years later . But as a child I remembered it vividly especially the jump cut to Kline's battered face as the title comes up and the sleazy atmosphere . It might seem tame now but for a nine year old child anything that introduces T&A is truly memorable . And if you think GANGSTERS is memorable for naked women just wait till you see the finale of series two !