Every Cliche in the Book

While I cannot attest to the Liverpool humor, the portrayal of America (Chicago) during the years of Capone has every possible mob cliche.

The acting, at least the British actors, is very well done. As for the ole US of A: Richard Roundtree (Shaft) as Boom-Boom is also quite good. But the remainder of the cast (Capone and his sidekick Georgio) fizzles in a run-of-the-mill effort. The women who play the two harlots (British I believe) do a very good job in their minor roles.

I'm not sure where they got their budget because the sets and production values are very nice. The script simply did not match up to it, and one can tell that the efforts of a British scriptwriter to catch the slang of prohibition American didn't even cut cactus. Not to mention, the end resolution is out of nowhere.

If you liked this film, or felt it could have been great, then I recommend the Coen brother's Miller's Crossing, arguably their best film.