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Post by ripper on Jun 8, 2021 13:59:58 GMT
Gangsters by Philip Martin (Sphere 1977)
Ex-SAS soldier John Kline is released from Prison after serving time for manslaughter. He has a share in a Birmingham night-club, but doesn't realise that his partner has sold out to the local crime boss, Rawlinson, so his money is gone. Worse still, Rawlinson wants Kline dead as it was he who killed the gangster's brother. Rawlinson is using companies he owns to smuggle drugs and illegal immigrants into the country. Kline decides to take on Rawlinson and his henchmen, and gets help from Khan, who isn't quite what he appears to be, and Dinah, a novice stripper employed at the night-club.
This novel is based on the Play for Today episode 'Gangsters' first shown in 1975. It was so successful that it spawned 2 series of Gangsters in 1976 and 1977. The original Play for Today was controversial due to its violence, nudity, explicit drug scenes, bad language and blatant racism shown against non-whites. Birmingham itself got a bit of a battering, being depicted as seedy, grimy and crime-ridden. The first full series followed the formula of the original, but series 2 was far more experimental, and got very odd in the later episodes, culminating in the camera pulling back to show that it was all just a television show and the cast walking off the set.
I remember watching the original play and 2 series, and enjoying them immensely, even though series 2, as I said, got very strange as it progressed.
As far as I can recall, the novel follows the play reasonably well, though it has been a very long time since I saw it. Martin wrote the script as well as penning the novel. I believe he also played Rawlinson.
There is quite a bit of gritty violence, mostly of the fists, boots and pickaxe variety. Kline gets several beatings, including a memorable one set on a canal narrow boat, where he has been lured by Rawlinson's drug addicted secretary/girlfriend. There is also a scene well depicted in the book where Dinah does her strip routine while dressed in a skimpy cowboy costume at the night-club to the backing of the title theme of 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly', and this scene alone is worth seeing the play for if you can. Paul Barber, who played Denzil in Only Fools and Horses, features as the leader of a group of thugs hunting Kline.
The novel is fine for what it is, but if you get the chance to see the play and series then I would recommend taking the time to do so.
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Post by andydecker on Jun 8, 2021 16:50:47 GMT
Sounds interesting. Hard to believe that such a tv-movie was something unique. Today you can watch gritty crime dramas until you burn out on them. I looked it up and it seems to be unavaiable, but I found a good interview with Martin. 7.32 million viewers, wow.
British gangster dramas often have a typical gritty tone, things like Get Carter. Sometimes a bit overdone. Years ago I tried reading Derek Raymond's Factory series, but I thought it hard going.
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Post by ripper on Jun 9, 2021 9:38:37 GMT
Sounds interesting. Hard to believe that such a tv-movie was something unique. Today you can watch gritty crime dramas until you burn out on them. I looked it up and it seems to be unavaiable, but I found a good interview with Martin. 7.32 million viewers, wow.
British gangster dramas often have a typical gritty tone, things like Get Carter. Sometimes a bit overdone. Years ago I tried reading Derek Raymond's Factory series, but I thought it hard going.
It was such a departure from what was shown in the Play for Today slot. The only two really likable characters were Dinah and an illegal immigrant being blackmailed by Rawlinson's gang; Dinah ends up dead and the immigrant deported. Kline and Khan are the 'heroes' but each indirectly cause Dinah's death as they deliberately involve her in their plan to get Rawlinson. It used to be on Youtube many years ago, but appears to have been taken down. |
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