The Young Americans (1993)

Director:

Danny Cannon

Writers:

Danny Cannon (writer) &
David Hilton (writer)

Release Date:

8 October 1993 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

London Is Not Only Losing Her Soul To The Americans, She's Selling It.

Plot:

The London police is having trouble with organized crime commited by juvenile delinquents. Their leader...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Gangster | Rave Culture | Police Motorcycle | Club Life

Cast

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

Runtime:

Brazil:104 min | UK:103 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Hungary:18 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

During one of the club scenes, a remix of Nine Inch Nails' "Gave Up" is playing. This version has never been released officially or unofficially and the only know fragment can be heard in this movie. It appears to be an alteration of the remix found on NIN's EP "Fixed."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kicking and Screaming (1995)

Soundtrack:

Gave Up

Effective, decent action thriller

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

With everyone talking about how youth crime and violence has skyrocketed almost to the same level as the States in Britain, this action thriller from over fifteen years ago now looks like a grim prediction from back then, with Harvey Keitel's hardened detective flying over to help stem the drugs/murder problem whilst pursuing a villain he was originally after in the States who he now believes has started to prowl around Europe.

The film manages a consistently gritty, raw atmosphere, fitting in tone with the story it's telling. Keitel is perfectly cast in the lead role, whilst as the villain in an early role Viggo Mortensen shows potential. Unfortunately, a melodramatic, hammy tendency in parts of the script, as well as an unconvincing turn from Keith Allen as a shady club owner, stop it achieving it's full potential. Still, it's a decent enough effort, forgettable but effective while it lasts. ***