Essex Boys (2000)

The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culminated in the murders of three drug dealers in Rettendon, Essex, UK. On 6th December Patrick Tate, Craig Rolfe and Tony ... See full summary »

Director:

Terry Winsor

Writers:

Jeff Pope, Terry Winsor

Stars:

Charlie Creed-Miles, Sean Bean, Gareth Milne

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charlie Creed-Miles	...	Billy Reynolds
Sean Bean	...	Jason Locke
Gareth Milne	...	Chippy
Alex Kingston	...	Lisa Locke
Amelia Lowdell	...	Nicole
Larry Lamb	...	Peter Chase
Michael McKell	...	Wayne Lovell
Holly Davidson	...	Suzy Welch
Terence Rigby	...	Henry Hobbs
Tom Wilkinson	...	John Dyke
Billy Murray	...	Perry Elley
George Jackos	...	Kiri Christos
Sally Hurst	...	Beverley
Louise Landon	...	Jemma
Gary Love	...	Detective

Storyline

The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culminated in the murders of three drug dealers in Rettendon, Essex, UK. On 6th December Patrick Tate, Craig Rolfe and Tony Tucker, three drug dealers well known to the police, were lured to Workhouse Lane, Rettendon. There they were blasted to death with a shot gun while sitting in their Range Rover. They had been lured to their deaths on the pretext of a lucrative drugs deal. The three bodies were found the following morning, 7 December 1995.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a nude woman | nudity | essex | girl wearing panties | rape victim | 

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Taglines:

Some lines should never be crossed.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language, sexuality and drug content

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 July 2000 (UK)

Also Known As:

Gangsters - The Essex Boys

Filming Locations:

Dartford Crossing - QEII Bridge, Dartford, Kent, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£111,548 (United Kingdom), 16 July 2000, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a true story

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Quotes

[Jason has just beaten up a suspected grass, kidnapped him and thrown acid in his face, getting some on his own shirt. He and Billy have driven him to a muddy river bank and left him there, screaming in agony]
Billy Reynolds: [voiceover] And that was that. Job done. Jason needed a new shirt - and the geezer needed a new face!

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Crazy Credits

Statement in opening titles: "This story is inspired by a single true event. It left three men dead, two serving life imprisonment and another living under an assumed identity. The rest is fiction, as are all the characters."

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Connections

References The Hit

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Soundtracks

Feel Me
Performed by D.Stabiliser

User Reviews

Not bad

I'm ashamed to admit that I only understood this film the second time I saw it. It is easy to confuse the characters at times as they double cross each other, change camps and generally confuse the viewer to no end.

However, it was worth it for Sean Bean as the psychopathic Jason Locke and Alex Kingston as his femme fatale wife. The guy playing Billy, the narrator, was also very good.

There are very few moments of humour but they certainly work, Lisa's foul mouth, comes to mind as well as the fact that Jason stole the marble lion from his former boss' garden. The plot becomes a bit too confused in the end with Lisa's web of deceit becoming wider and wider.

Moments of violence are very realistic. Jason Locke's treatment of his wife is by far more shocking than anyone flying off a glass window.

As far as the direction is concerned, it is fairly straightforward with some truly excellent editing in the shoot out, near the end as well as in the scene where Mr Dyke (I for one found Tom Wilkinson's gentleman gangster quite believable) is trying to kill Billy.

In all, it is hardly a groundbreaking film but it is very entertaining. I'll give it 7/10.