BRITISH CRIME FILM: SUBVERTING THE SOCIAL ORDER

For someone like me who loves to read not only crime fiction books but also reference books on the genre as well, Barry Forshaw’s British Crime Fiction: Subverting the Social Order provides an additional insight into the social history of British crime films.  The book explores the various British crime films from the point of view of the way in which they have explored and depicted our changed our attitudes towards not only class, sex, violence but also other behaviour.

What is also good about this book is that the author has also indulged the cinephiles as well by having four really good appendices, which cover directors of key British crime films, TV crime, crime and espionage and films, TV and books.  One has surely been given the tools to ensure that one’s film collection is full of the most pertinent British crime films.  It looks as if I am going to have to have a trawl through mine at least as I can already recognise some that I do not have.

Whether you want to use this book as a social documentary reference book on British crime film or just as a checklist for ensuring that you have the best British crime films you can as well.  In my opinion, British Crime Film is one of those books that will become not only a classic in terms of the information it contains but also because it will (hopefully) be seen as an essential book for all students of film and critics.  Another book that hits the spot.