Donal MacIntyre's documentary A Very British Gangster follows three years in the life of Dominic Noonan, head of the most notorious crime family in Manchester, England. Despite his insistence that he's an independent “social worker” who only wants to settle disputes in working class neighborhoods, Noonan has been pegged by British law enforcement and is the subject of three different trials over the course of the film. The Noonan family are actually involved in narcotics, kidnapping, murder, and other activities one doesn't generally associate with social welfare outreach. Despite his extremely imposing physical presence, Noonan is no Tony Soprano: although he vaguely hints about miscreant activity, Noonan is mostly polite and perhaps a bit dull—large, but not larger than life (he's also gay, but neither he nor MacIntyre place much emphasis on that aspect of his life). Noonan is not without occasional sparks of mischievous wit, however. At one point, while sitting in solitary confinement, he somehow manages to orchestrate an April Fool's prank in which super-glue is poured into the locks of numerous prisons across Great Britain—a lark that cost the country millions in locksmith fees. Viewers expecting American-style gangster bravado might find this documentary to be too serene, but as a glimpse into the murky world of British crime, it's quite memorable. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)
A Very British Gangster
Echo Bridge, 97 min., not rated, DVD: $14.99 Volume 24, Issue 1
A Very British Gangster
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