A Very British Gangster (2008)

Directed by: Donal MacIntyre | 98 minutes | documentary, crime

In the Netherlands, Peter R. de Vries has made an indelible name. Alberto Stegeman and John van den Heuvel try to follow in his footsteps. But in terms of revelations, this trio does not match the ‘grandmaster’ of investigative journalism, the Irishman Donal MacIntyre. He covered from Beirut, Bosnia, Congo, Belfast and Burma. Many abuses were exposed by him. Scandals in nursing homes, where the elderly and disabled were abused, international trade in endangered species, sex slave smuggling and illegal arms trade. MacIntyre infiltrated the worlds of fashion, football and finance. Daring expeditions that won him much appreciation and prizes, but also brought him enemies. He is regularly threatened with death, assaulted, at risk of kidnapping and lives in specially secured houses. In short, Donal is not for the faint of heart. For his first full-length documentary entitled ‘A Very British Gangster’, MacIntyre portrayed the infamous and highly feared mobster Dominic Noonan, the head of the Noonan crime dynasty.

The viewer is presented with a staggering picture of the lives of contemporary criminals. As Dominic points out at the start of the documentary, with two young followers by his side: “During the day, the police rule in Manchester, at night the gangsters rule.” Dominic Noonan (39), the second generation of an Irish immigrant family, has already served twenty-two years in prison. It takes several tally marks to enumerate his crimes: armed robbery, assaults on police and prison staff, illegal firearms possession, jailbreaks, fraud and involvement in gang murders. Dominic, severely traumatized by rape at a boarding school at age 13 and now ‘strictly gay’, was one of the ringleaders responsible for the riot in Strangeways prison (result: two dead and two hundred injured), as a member of the Prisoners Liberation Army.

In this one, described by Macintyre himself: ‘Michael Moore for gangsters’, we follow the criminal in his efforts to get back on the right path. From crime boss to security advisor, as head of his own company Manchester Security. Noonan acts every day as a social worker for the people in the deprived areas of Manchester. An underclass that has to get justice from a notorious gangster because the police don’t give home. So Noonan and his twenty-member, smartly dressed gang ‘mediate’ (after ‘Reservoir Dogs’?) in assault, threats, kidnapping, trespassing, eviction and noise pollution. Dominic is the pillar of the neighbourhood. He is sponsor of the fireworks festival for the youth and sponsor of the local boxing club, where his son Bugsy (11) regularly enjoys the punching bag. Bugsy only really lived with his father for two years, the rest of the time he was taken care of by an aunt from the Noonan dynasty. Bugsy dreams of a career as a boxer or football player. Cousin Sean wants to make it as a singer (“Every gangster family has a singer in its midst.”).

The documentary shows that Noonan jumps three times in large, million-devouring lawsuits. The Noonans seem untouchable, invincible. The turning point, shortly after Dominic’s latest acquittal, seems to have been reached with the murder of his crack-addicted brother Desmond (“Dessie”). This notorious bank robber and hit man, suspected of twenty-five to thirty murders in the circuit, is stabbed after an argument with his dealer. Half of Manchester is paralyzed for the honorary funeral, but the turnaround sets in. Dominic receives death threats from rival gangs, Bugsy has to go to therapy to cope with his uncle’s death, and godson Paul gets off track too. To make matters worse, the English justice finally manages to get Dominic (again) convicted. Sixteen and a half years in prison for illegal possession of weapons. Noonan will end up with only three of them. And Bugsy was so looking forward to his first vacation with Dad, to Jamaica. But, as the little guy himself sighs: “He’s a gangster, that’s just the way it is.”

MacIntyre is Noonan in the style of Louis Theroux on his neck. He shoots his pictures without glorifying his main character and without moral judgment. “The public should judge for themselves. The difficult thing about this project was: How do I get out without dirty hands?” ‘A Very British Gangster’ is an impressive piece of social history. We see young people (“We can’t read and write, but we can count money like the best!”) whose lives seem to be fixed in advance. Violence as an adrenaline rush. Talking tough, but still anxiously sucking the thumb when there is a threat of repercussion. A violent yet fascinating world inhabited by hitmen, dangerous criminals and… young innocents. With a musical setting (including Oasis, Alabama 3, Nina Simone, Paul Anka, Roots Manuva, Robin Elliot) that fits perfectly. Titles like “Mansion On The Hill”; “An American Trilogy”; “Farewell”; “Lord, Have Mercy”; “Bulletproof”; “These Drugs I’m Selling”; “My Way”; “So You Want To Be A Boxer”; “Wonderwall”; “King Gangster”; “Suspicious Minds” and “Let There Be Love” tell the story in chronological order.