During the 1960s there where two gangs that ran London. North of the river it was the famous Kray twins, south of the river it was the Richardson's. This era is looked upon by some as a golden age of crime in the country. Criminals where often portrayed as gentleman, who would only hurt those who where in the business. In reality it was one of the most violent times London has ever seen.

In what is rightly regarded as one of the best British gangster films, The Krays came to our cinemas in 1990, and shocked everyone with it's portrayal of the mad twins as they carved their way across the London crime scene.

The tale of the North London twins was such a success that a counter film about the other gang of the time was bound to happen. You just wonder why it took so long. Charlie is heavily influenced by The Krays and has some interesting similarities.

The main similarity is that The Krays employed British music stars Martin and Gary Kemp as Ronnie and Reggie Kray, while Charlie takes ex- Bros singer Luke Goss in its lead role. At the time of making the films, these guys where not regarded as actors, but all three of them have proved the casting right. They all shine as the gangsters. One minute looking cool and suave, the next dishing out torture.

Charlie's central character is Charlie Richardson (Luke Goss) we see his rise and subsequent fall as one of London's top gang lords. The film mainly focuses on his trial, but tells his back story through flashbacks. These flashbacks are heavy-handed and confusing, as we jump from South African business deals to Charlie's childhood.

As well as the flashbacks there are mock-interviews with Charlie's associates as they refute any claims against him, add flashbacks taken from the viewpoint of prosecution witnesses as they tell of Charlie electrocuting their genitals and other such nice tings and the film becomes more muddled and convoluted by the minute.

The film, unfortunately, is a mess. Between all of these flashbacks there is a story, but it's been over edited to such a degree that nothing is in the right place. A more conventional linear approach would have served the story better and made a lot more sense rather than the scatter shot approach with pieces of story often only 30 seconds long.

Luke Goss is excellent in the lead role. This is his first major lead after minor roles in such films as Blade 2. He makes a very convincing mad gangster, in true 60s London fashion he loves his Mother, is good to people who deserve it and bloody horrible to people he doesn't like.

Steven Berkoff (Who was also in The Krays) plays Charlie's Father, and as usual for this excellent British actor holds the screen for his own, but is in this film far too little is seen of him. The relationship between Charlie and his Father is hinted at in some scenes, but is not developed enough, and this film shies away from any psychological examination of the characters and instead focuses on the brutal beatings they regularly dish out.

The other characters pass the time but do no more and most are one dimensional. Worth a mention, just because it's bizarre is the inclusion in the cast of Anita Dobson (Charlie Mother) and Leslie Grantham (Richard Waldeck) who most British readers will know as Angie and Den Watts from the UK soap opera Eastenders.

Director Malcolm Needs does better in this film than in his previous take on the world of gangsters: Shordich; which I haven't seen, because it's been pulled from cinemas under the tag "worst film of all time from the UK." The guy seems to have a good eye for action, but this film has had too much thrown at it, both in style (The next time a director says, "Lets shoot this split screen like "24" they should be shot!) and in characters.

This film is worth a watch; Luke Goss is superb and given the right role could develop into a right good actor. The film is often confusing, but it is gripping, I'm just not sure whether I was gripped on the story or gripped by confusion!

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