American Reacts to The British Tough Guy Trope! 

This focuses on the modern trend of football hooligan films. Old timers like Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins never get a mention... Bob Hoskins in The Long Good Friday is one of the best British gangster portrayals ever, a massively underrated movie.

In my experience real hard men are soft spoken if not totally silent & not given to long winded boastful speeches - but when something happens it happens so fast it will make your head spin.

A British "tough guy" and cult movie i would highly recommend you watch is "Dead Mans Shoes". It's basically a revenge movie, but the tough guy in it is ex military ( played by Paddy Considine). It's a very low budget movie filmed over 8 weeks. The director, Shane Meadows also cast a real champion boxer ( Gary Stretch) in the film to also play a tough guy. It's on a different level to the "Geeza" movies and all the better for it.

Ross kemp is an actor and film maker he was with my regiment's 1st Battalion in Afghanistan 1 Royal Irish he went through the same hardship as the rest of the guys and sometimes put his head uo when he should have had it down as I have done myself and heard the wiz of a round going past my ear , he also played a Sgt in the SAS serries called ultimate Force. Please do a reaction to it you will enjoy it

I think there's a difference between James Bond and the usual hardman. Bond was a tough man, able to handle himself, but he was middle - upper class. To me a British hardman is more working class, not just from London or a football fan. Now before anyone moans at me, I was born and raised working class, I'm still working class and proud of it. A hardman can also have a soft side, love their wife, parents, be kind to animals and still be tough, yes I love my hardman 😍 Great video and reaction, wishing you well.

Stanley baker was a working class villain in the 50’s. He broke the mould.

Pat roach was a wrestler and British gangster. He was in the first 3 Indiana Jones movies

You should watch the original’Get Carter’ with Michael Caine 1971, it’s brilliant!

Tom Hardy is definitely a model British hard-man... he plays Eddie in Venom. Rough around the edges, heart of gold.

watching this makes me think of the first Kingsman Movie, you kinda have 2 completely different representations of British hardmen, you have the Geezers in the Pub Then the Kingsmen

On Guy Ritchie movies, The Gentleman was a definite return the Brit grit genre but with a little Hollywood star dust just like Snatch.

British people come from other places than England. Vinnie Jones played for Wales. The clue is in the name. Also what about characters like Sharpe. A working class Yorkshire guy who breaks the rules but still works the system. The original video being commented on is very London oriented. For example what about the Glasgow gangster? Get Carter and so on…

You should watch "Rise of The Foot Soldier." There's some right "geezers" in that. 😂

That NOT Cockney. It's a mash up of Mockney and Estuary, as taught by the drama schools.

Ross Kemp in Ricky Gervais's 'Extras' is amazing, he send himself up so well :-) He even shares the screen with Vinnie Jones season 1, Ep 02!

If you like watching hard men movies. I'd recommend *"McVicar"* with Roger Daltrey & *"Buster"* starring Phil Collins. Both based on True stories.

Ross Kemp is still making dangerous series, recently he went diving with sharks. Danny Dyer is older now, but he was only asking the questions we were all thinking to provoke a response. Vinnie Jones is a good actor, he has a sense of humour. The toughest guys of all are the Gurkhas plus the SAS.

Watch The Gentleman...its great :)

glad you enjoyed!

The guy that gives Danny that little tap was actually a Master in one of the MMA halls in my town when this was filmed. His name is Mo. I remember this so well 😂😂😂

The Wrath of Man came out in 2021, and is a typical all action Jason Statham film, also check out his latest film "The Beekeeper" which was released last month, also has Jeremy Irons in it..

Interesting thing about actor Danny Dyer….who always plays tough guys.He is a direct descendant of Henry 8ths Chancellor Thomas Cromwell…one of history’s real tough guys.Though he did end up with his head on the block!

The real tough guys are the UK military. They have always served with distinction.

The man in the top hat at 25 seconds is Prince Bertie who became King George VI ... he was father of Queen Elizabeth and grandfather of King Charles.

I understand he is young and has to relate to modern culture and film, but there have always been hard men. He is just too young and doesn't know a lot about history. At least he has Danny Dyer nailed.

The gentleman is a grate movie definitely recomend.

Try Brighton Rock (1948), Hell Drivers (1957), or The Frightened City (1961). There are plenty British hardman movies pre Bond if you look for them. During the time of the Peaky Blinders (a real gang) after WWI in Birmingham, there were gangs in all the major cities. In London you had the Sabini Brothers, followed by Jack Spot, followed by Billy Hill, etc., and movies were made about people of that ilk.

Ian Fleming the author of James Bond actually served in MI6, in the Navel Intelligence Division, during WW2 where he was also one of those in the planning of Operation Goldeneye, plus 2 other intelligence units. James Bond was named after the author of one of his favourite books about birdwatching. some of James Bond characters and stories also came from friends and his brother Peter who also served in MI6. Amazing writer who wrote about his & others experiences, I found this out as Goldeneye is my favourite as it has Sean Bean who is in my top 3 favourite actors.

The pub culture video you mention doesn't say geezers are old, it says they're anything from 25 onwards.

The Gentleman is amazing.

The Gentlemen was probably Guy Ritchies last Hard Man movie. Apparently there is a series being released

Lenny Montana who played Luca Brasi in The Godfather was a real life mafia enforcer. When you see him practicing his speech at the wedding that was him learning his lines😮😮

Guy Richie’s The Gentleman was a British gangster, one of my favourite ones

Check out The Gentlemen, great film, grat cast and an introduction to a new kind of street gangs.

bet he didnt knew GORDEN RAMSEY was a footballer as well

Cillian Murphy is an Irishman playing a fictitious Brit. In the film Breakfast on Pluto, he played a gay person growing up in the times of 'The Troubles', a completely opposite type of character. Sean Connery, a Scot, played Bond as a suave sophisticated killer. British hard criminals have been notorious throughout History, characters such as Jack the Ripper, or Sweeney Todd (the demon barber killing his customers) and many, many more, not just since the 1950s.

Liked your commentary on this. I've noticed the word 'Geezer' turning up in American TV and films, and like you mention, it seems to have changed meaning a bit in the way words always do. A geezer is like a 'bloke', just with more prominence. That long-standing member of the pub clientelle is an 'old geezer', which seems to be the connotaion that's transferred over. Sorry, but I find that sort of thing interesting. Originally Dutch or Flemish, it got inserted into London slang in the traditional way: a wave of immigration (escaping the religious wars in Europe). NB - Vinnie Jones was actually a good player, even if never quite making the top flight. He was about the last of the old style, who knew the difference between 'hard' (where you also took personal risks), and 'dirty (where you played for Leeds).

Cillian Murphy is Irish and very proud of it.

Cillian Murphy would be a bit pissed off to be described as British.

I'm wondering how the Kingsman fits into all of this

Danny Dyers most famous role was Kent Paul in Vice City and San Andreas.

Did you know that the B&W film snippet at 19.47 is the (Then) Duke of York, who ascended the throne after his brother abdicated in 1938 and became George VI ( the late Queens father).

that shot of a clockwork orange was shot 5 minutes from my house. the flats in the background are currently getting torn down.

Nick love is making a new football hooligan movie. He was the producer for The Football Factory

I never understand why Jason Statham speaks with a Cockney accent, seeing he was born in Derbyshire and brought up in Cambridgeshire 😂

Jason Stalham was nearly in the Olympic games. He participated in the trials for 1988 at the National diving school he went on to represent Great Britain and England. But could not make the cut for the Olympics.

I really enjoy watching your channel. I love that you're willing to agree or disagree and to learn. I think we should make you an honorary Britt 😀

Old geezer, geezer and diamond geezers constitute the geezer family tree.

actually, the wrath of man and the gentleman are exactly that style of movie. also looking forward to his new one, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

You really should check out some of Ross Kemp's documentaries, they really are fantastic. As for the start of the hard man/tough guy trope that started way before Bond, there is a great black and white film called Brighton Rock from back in 1948 Starring Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park) where he definitely plays a character that would be considered a "geezer".

I think you could argue that Ritchie has pushed on with that juxtaposition, but in a slightly different way: see Hugh Grant in The Gentlemen.

World heavyweight boxing champion is from MANCHESTER, WE brits are still tough!

Danny dyers episode of Who Do You Think You Are is one my favourites.

The Danny Dyer clip you didn't get - Dyer: you're almost, like, in the background aren't you? Hardman: No, how can you say that, mate, [if] we go down London we'll turn you over Basically Dyer is saying this Northern firm isn't a big deal and the hardman is saying his gang would beat any London firm

Reason Guy Richie cud hang with hard men on set, was cus although he came from a fairly wealthy upper middle class background he is pretty tough himself, and was attracted to the more tougher working class gangster life thru movies, and got involved in a few proper scrapes himself! He re-thought this path in life when he got slashed across his cheek with a Stanley Knife, a much used fearsome face slashing weapon amongst gangsters n criminals!! The scar has faded over the years n is barely noticeable, but if you look closely, especially when his face blushes or goes red in certain situations or questions etc you can still just about see the thin scar line on his cheek flare up slightly....he must have got proper slashed as the scar is from ear to mouth......the classic side of face Stanley knife slash! 😮

Lenny McClean's autobiography _The Guv'nor_ is an excellent read. Last page is emotional. Now to find that video you mentioned on gangsters.

"I cannot understand a single word he said" 🤣

James Bond: the author of the books knew this sort of person, and even wrote in a few, based upon real people. Bond himself has been compared to the new men in British Intelligence that arrived with WWII. 'The intelligent thug who can pass as a gentleman when he needs to'. Compare Nash, who becomes Bond's main adversary in 'From Russia With Love'. Then compare Paddy Mayne, a founder of the SAS. The match is not close, but we're talking about hard men here.

The gentleman is a bit of a London gangster film well worth a watch

Islanders are always tough tbh, I guess a comparison would be alaska people in US.

You need to watch the gentlemen. it's an amazing film with a great cast! Love the channel!

You need to check out 'The Essex Boys'. There are more movies and documentaries about them than any other modern criminals.

I love Jimmy!

Gary Oldman, The Firm, is excellent..

Oi! Did you say a _geezer_ was an 'older man'? Now, mark my words, Sunshine (are you listenin'?): a Geezer, may be - and usually is - over 25, it's true, but that's only 'cos it takes a little time for him to become 'established', as it were. Now, you better adjust your epistemology, my Son (as we say down in 'Ackney), or I might just have to get one of Mr Richardson' boys to come over and administer a bit of a slappin'! Are we sorted, now? Good! 😉

10:21 Lenny Mclean was a real hard man, both on film and off.

Why no mention of 1971 Michael Caine film "Get Carter" ?. Watch. They don't come any tougher.

James Bond went to that well known working class school...*checks notes*...Eton

Craig Fairbrass is the man, and as somebody has already suggested, watch Rise Of The Footsoldier.

Tough guy documentaries- wasn't there one before Ross Kemp with a Northern Irishman? I can't remember his name but I vaguely recall him going in with gangsters and criminals in the UK?

The scene at 6:54 is Rotherham where I live. I thought I recognised the buildings haha. Did some investigating and found that it was from the film I.D - a film about police going undercover to infiltrate a gang of hooligans

"Geezer" is simply London slang for guy or dude. However, if it is said with emphasis it means "top geezer" or "diamond geezer" i.e. someone who acts decisively or commands respect. (It doesn´t mean old man, like it does in the USA!)

Jason Statham. A proper geezer, still looking chipper at 56, having just made one of his best films, The Beekeeper.

The Gentleman by Guy Ritchie is an interesting film as it has old school gangsters but also makes references to the new breed, the roadmen that were referenced in the vid. If you haven't seen it, The Firm with Gary Oldman is a classic of the football hooligan genre and anything with Oldman is worth watching anyway

The gentlemen and wrath of man are two great guy Ritchie films

James Bond wasn't quite the beginning of the trope, but it was the big breakthrough. Earlier movies like "Brighton Rock" and "Hell Drivers" had set the stage for it, but the bad guys always lost before Bond. It's odd that he skipped straight from James Bond to Lock, Stock... without dealing with any of the hard man films in between. Ray Winstone had been playing this sort of character for years before Vinny, starting with 1979's "Scum" and including the hilarious and dark black comedy "Sexy Beast" (well worth watching!). Ross Kemp... either very brave or very stupid - either way, compelling television.

"Get Carter" with Michael Caine in the lead role, made in 1971 is worth seeing: dark and atmospheric.

Missed out the film "Sexy Beast", as well as the "Rise of the Footsoldier" series of films. And how about Ray Winstone acting as a tough guy?!

Surprised no mention of Michael Caine in "Get Carter" - considering when it was made, the portrayal of violence was really disturbing.

You need to check out 'The Essex Boys'. There are more movies and documentaries about them than any other modern criminals. Violent drug dealers how were murdered.

One day this guy might discover the M25 has exits and it's possible to actually leave the confines of the London area.

Just to let you know bud in case you’re not sure but vinny jones wasn’t a hooligan he was actually a professional footballer but he was a kind of hooligan on the pitch which although entertaining it was a bit of a shame because he could actually play a bit but the way he approached the game rather than the way he played is the overriding memory. My apologies if you did actually know this, it’s 11.20pm and I’ve taken painkillers lol

I've never watched Kinky Bleeders.

When Ross kemp was described as a theater kid it made me laugh 😅 he was in the para’s before he got in to acting 🤣 “parachute regiment of the British army the equivalent of the USA’s green berets” 🤣. The lad doing this video seems to have a basic grip on it but I think his age has a lot to do with his lack of depth of knowledge on the British hard man. For him it seems to be lack of experience and more based on a small number of films and where he is from “I’d guess London or the surrounding area”. But it’s a good video for the basics 🤣👍🏻.

the gentleman is a kinda gangster movie good story and cast

i guess a reaction to ross kemp has to be on the cards

Danny Dyer does not belong on any list that has the words "hard man" in it

Watch the film “ we still kill the old way “

Richard burton, Terrence stamp, Cary crant.

What about Robert Newton in the original Oliver Twist film playing Bill Sikes 1948. Proper hard man. As opposed to Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr No 1962.

I feel that very often we can't make up our minds (eg between 1:23 and 1:26 he says Bri-ish then Bri-Tish) there's an almost unspoken knowledge of when to say which and not to over-use one or the other. It used to be one way or the other but these days many folks will say both Ouses and Houses within the same sentence talking about the same houses! This might be strange on foreign ears but to us it's all part and parcel of the language. Vinne's "[Being a hard man] is about not flinching during a tackle! So true, as you re-stated half way through this. Oh and poor Vinnie losing his wife a few years back, if you look up some news of it, he was totally crushed. When a tough guy shows (albeit not by choice) a sensitive side, that makes a tough guy a tough man. Cheers for the reaction Guv!

Hey you need to check out...the gentlemen....sweet film with twists....

Guy Ritchie will forever regret not completing a trilogy. I doubt Madona was worth that mistake.

The early 007 films show Bond as a gentleman spy, he doesn’t become a tough and rough assassin until the late eighties

I recommend watching "green street" and "rise of the foot soldier" if you're interested in this

dr no was the start of the tough guy thing that wasnt the norm back then and not the norm now,ah the memories of the times when we only had to look forward.

Craig Fairbrass is my favourite, but he says cnut every 5 seconds. 😃 Check out "Rise of the foot soldier"

My hometown of Luton gets a shoutout 😂

Vinnie always angry unless he is saving heaghogs on his farm

I would have thought Scum with Ray Winstone would have featured.