Against the background of the East End of London England, Nicola Collins explores the fascinating complexity of the lives of her father and his friends: infamous criminals that shaped their war torn environment into a violent underworld. The End is a story never before told, of a group of men with a common bond. The End reveals the bloody history and the confessions of the cockney gangster. Their stories are rife with brutality and bloodshed but, somehow, she manages to frame them without judgment.
Indeed, in counterpoint to her gritty visual style and industrial soundtrack, she captures glimmers of humanity in the now grizzled faces of these notorious Cockney gangsters who still crave respect, abide by their criminal code of honor, and talk as freely about their families, friendships, and God as they do about murder.
The documentary begins with historic footage of a burned-out London during World War II. Poor kids, Les and his friends tried to survive without much money, food, or adult supervision in the East End. They pilfered what they needed. Says one of Collins' s interviewees Victor Dark, Mickey Goldtooth, and Pretty Boy Roy Shaw among them. Most of them served prison time; most were stabbed or shot at least once. Some have no regrets; others cringe at the harm they've done.