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“Charlie”

“Charlie” attempts to tell the story of notorious English gangster Charlie Richardson, whose ruthless gang ruled London south of the River Thames in the 1960s and whose reach eventually extended to the political leadership of South Africa.

Pop star turned actor Luke Goss turns in a fine performance as the troubled boy-turned-crime lord. He’s at one moment suave and charming, the next cruel and dangerous. His portrayal makes it easy to see how Richardson rose from poverty to power; it’s the film’s only redeeming quality.

Richardson’s story is intriguing – from the childhood incident that shaped his outlook on life and business, to family tragedy, to the brutal torture of his subordinates – but the telling is overly stylistic. Writer/director Malcolm Needs mixes courtroom sound bites with haphazard flashbacks in a way that makes it difficult to follow what happened when. Voiceovers help identify some of the players in Richardson’s worldwide game of torture and deceit, but the story is still too convoluted in the telling.

The movie’s main attraction seems to be scenes depicting the cold and calculated punishment of associates accused of betraying Richardson. They are bloody, brutal, and disturbing. Even so, it’s hard to feel sympathy for the victims; as Richardson points out in the film, he never harms anyone outside his criminal network.

The real events and Richardson himself are fascinating, colorful, and shocking enough; Need’s trendy out-of-sequence method of storytelling only gets in the way.

The DVD lacks bonus features, offering only the trailer as an extra.

Written by: Auriette Lindsey

Reviewers Rating: 3
Reader's Rating: 10.00
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