The Young Americans (1993)

The London police is having trouble with organized crime commited by juvenile delinquents. Their leader is an American who is an expert at turning young men into ruthless gangsters. ... See full summary »

Director:

Danny Cannon

Writers:

Danny Cannon, David Hilton

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, Iain Glen, John Wood

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harvey Keitel	...	John Harris
Iain Glen	...	Edward Foster
John Wood	...	Richard Donnelly
Terence Rigby	...	Sidney Callow
Keith Allen	...	Jack Doyle
Craig Kelly	...	Christian O'Neill
Thandie Newton	...	Rachael Stevens
Viggo Mortensen	...	Carl Frazer
Dave Duffy	...	Louis Carnegie
Geoffrey McGivern	...	Brian Carver
Nigel Clauzel	...	Lionel Stevens
Huggy Leaver	...	Mark Byrne
Dig Wayne	...	Gary Washington
Christopher Adamson	...	Billy Cohen (as Chris Adamson)
James Duggan	...	Dermot O'Neill

Storyline

The London police is having trouble with organized crime commited by juvenile delinquents. Their leader is an American who is an expert at turning young men into ruthless gangsters. American cop John Harris is asked to help the London police to break up the organization.

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Plot Keywords:

police | gangster | rave culture | police motorcycle | club life | 

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Taglines:

No Honor. No Respect. No Remorse.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 1993 (UK)

Also Known As:

Young Americans

Filming Locations:

Jacob Street Studios, Jacob Street, Bermondsey, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, StudioCanal, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in 38 days.

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Connections

Referenced in Kicking and Screaming (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Drink 'Til The Party's Over"
Written by David Arnold
Performed by Padraig Gilhooly and The Rattling Bog Cutters

User Reviews

Basic but good direction from Cannon and good performances from many of the cast

Youth crime and drugs are rife in London. Scotland Yard call in an advisor from the DEA because they believe a new force is in play within the underworld. Harris arrives in London to find nothing different from the LA he just left and begins to make links with Chris who seems to offer the only way into the gangs.

The story may not be anything to write home about, but this film was a good introduction to the ability (if questionable script judgement) of Danny Cannon. The story makes a lot of leaps as Harris tries to shut down the American influence in the drug game. However many subplots are weak or totally incidental and just seem there to make up the time. The main story itself is a little too glossy and is a times just an excuse for Cannon's direction.

Cannon directs well here – London looks good, whether it's the dark alleys or the sun setting over the cityscape. He can't really work well with character but he can do visuals pretty well.

Another reviewer has commented on the `unknown' cast – however there are no more `unknowns' in this than in anything else. Keitel is good despite having the whole family subplot that he clearly doesn't know what to do with and he doesn't do as much with his exploitation of Chris as he could have – but he's always watchable. Kelly is good as the young Chris – but the emotion towards the end is a little beyond him. The rest of the cast is fully of unknowns is it? Thandie Newton? Viggo Mortensen? Keith Allen? A host of faces from British TV and films? All are pretty good although some have more to do than others.

Overall the plot may not be totally together but a good strong lead by Keitel and a good bit of direction by Cannon makes this feel better than it actually is.