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Dom Robinson reviews
Entertainment in Video
- Cert:
- Cat.no: EDV 9239
- Running time: 94 minutes
- Year: 2004
- Pressing: 2004
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 16 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras: Trailer, TV Spot, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Director’s Commentary
Director:
- Malcolm Needs
(Charlie, Shoreditch)
Producers:
- Tim Ireland and Malcolm Needs
Screenplay:
- Malcolm Needs
Music:
- Andy Humphries
Cast:
- Charlie Richardson: Luke Goss
Charlie Richardson Snr: Steven Berkoff
Richard Waldeck: Leslie Grantham
Charlie’s Mum: Anita Dobson
Van Den Bergh: Marius Weyers
Jean Le Grange: Nicole Sherwin
Richard Aubury: Douglas McFerran
Eddie Richardson: Langley Kirkwood
Defence Brief: Jeroen Kranenburg
Cyril Green: Mark Arden
Frankie Fraser: Chris Curran
Himself: James Whale
Man in pub: Charlie Richardson
Charlie Richardsonwas an East-end gangster who spent his time on the planet with people like the Kraysand ‘Mad’ Frankie Fraser, as well as other cockney wanker low-lifes who aimed tocontrol who and what they liked, often succeeding.
Told in flashback about the heinous crimes committed by Charlie and his associates ina court that became known as the “Torture Trial”, we’re introduced to the scams carried out,such as moving in on a car-parking lot that charges a full day’s fee, yet dumps the carson a local farm for the majority of the day, Charlie and his father make a killing on ascrap metal deal with a bounced cheque and he also sets up a fake company buying and sellingwhite goods for a few months until a firm trusts him enough to put future goods on account,and then fleece them for as much as you can.
Various baddies have actors portraying them, such as Frankie Fraser and Roy Hall, to do ‘vox pop’interviews to camera about what a nice, helpful person Charlie was. Well, they’ll try and sticktogether won’t they? (for as long as it suits them)
Luke Goss is the best thing about this film, coming across very well as a hard-as-nails gangster,compared to most of the rest on show, and for the soap audience this is the first time in a long time,unless you count ITV’s three-years-delayed “80s Mania” show, that we’ve seen the Eastenderspairing of Anita Dobson, in flashback as Charlie’s mother, and balding internet pervert LeslieGrantham, in the ’60s where the majority of the film it set, as Richard Waldeck who has a great dealto make a fortune that Charlie can’t refuse.
Charlie looks good and is well-shot with nice slo-mo moments, but it’s just not that interesting.It’s let down by sloppy writing, from the same man who directed this, which cuts between two manydifferent scenarios as new witnesses come to the stand, and so we don’t see anything substantial reallyfollowed through, and just makes it look more like an occasional repeat ofThe Kraysbut with not much inbetween.
It’s watchable, but it’s not a keeper.
It’s also worth noting that the director’s previous film to this, Shoreditch, was the onethat cost £6m to make, including £500,000 of star Shane Richie‘s money, wasscreened in two London cinemas for one week only and clawed back just £2,272 of its budgetin takings, making it one of the costliest flops around. This one did better than that, but nowherenear broke-even.
The filmis presented in the original cinema ratio of 1.85:1 and is anamorphic,looking very crisp and colourful throughout where required, as well as looking dismal andforeboding in the courtroom, and evoking the period of the 1960s very well. The DolbyDigital 5.1 sound isn’t greatly used, except perhaps for musical tunes from the era, butthat’s about it.
For extras, there’s a 75-second Trailer (16:9 anamorphic), a 30-second TV spotin the same ratio, three Deleted Scenes (4½ mins) also in 16:9 anamorphic but ofvarying quality and in the last one, an alternate ending, the sound disappears halfway through!
Six little Outtakes (7 mins, with most in 16:9 anamorphic, the rest in letterbox format),which show a humourous side to Luke Goss, with optional director’s commentary and a feature-lengthdirector’s commentary conclude this section.
There are 16 chapters, English subtitles only, and an animated main menu which is scored,but if you’re considering watching this and don’t celebrate the world of the ’60s East-end thug,then make it a rental first.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.