For those people who think the East End of London is full of larger than life Guy Ritchie characters with the odd bout of extreme violence then The End provides you with a more realistic picture. Its not to say that that Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels and Snatch were works of complete fiction (far from it as several of the real-life gangsters in this documentary would fit right in to those films) but its more a wake-up call…. Mr Ritchies movies are about 30 years out of date.

This frank and honest documentary peels away the glamour and puts away the rose-tinted spectacles to take a look at some of the most famous (and infamous) villains from the good old days. The filmmakers know this world very well the Collins sisters themselves roles in Snatch but have an even more startling association with this environment. There is a moment in the film when we are listening to another grim story from Les Falco, when you realise why this look at well tread territory is so striking. Les is a likable old uncle type whom everyone seems to respect and like… except maybe the victims of his armed robbery misdemeanours, and as he begins to reminisce an innocent and sweet sounding cockney voice off camera asks “What did you do in the (turf) war, dad?”

Bang thats the money shot right there. Real people telling us real stories, from murderers to born again Christians we a drawn into their murky world by a well-paced and excellently structured narrative that doesnt allow its participators the opportunity to gloss over some of the crimes they have committed. Some of them are funny and even likeable but at no point would you want to meet them down a dark alley way.

Once we are familiar with the faces and comfortable if not entirely happy with what they are saying, the filmmakers throw a curveball by bringing us up to date and presenting a brief look at the area today. These old-timers are clearly out of their element now and dont even consider it home, which says a lot more than you would expect it to about those involved. Its ironic to see them feel so uncomfortable in their own backyard.

The look and town of the documentary is perfectly matched to the content. A grainy black and white appearance is initially disconcerting but quickly becomes married to the words we are hearing. The films title itself is one of the smartest to hit the screens for a while and on reflection has multiple meaning. The End might just be the nickname for that part of London, but it is also an accurate description for that lifestyle presented by Falco and co… Its over.

Featuring: Victor Dark, Les Falco, Bobby Reading and Jimmy Tibbs
Directed by: Nicola Collins
Release Date: May 1st
Certificate: 15