What's in a Title? Crime Films Volume III Quiz

Answer: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler

The German title of the film is "Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler". Spieler can be translated as player, actor or gambler and no English term really gets the ambiguity. Dr. Mabuse does in fact appear as a gambling gentleman in his second disguise. His first is as a stock broker who rakes in pots of money by manipulating the market.

The character Dr. Mabuse was invented by Norbert Jacques who wrote a series of novels revolving around him. Jacques also worked on the screenplay with Fritz Lang.

"Dr. Mabuse the Gambler" is almost five hours long, although you'd never guess as it flies along. The range of technical tricks, twists and turns in the plot, and fabulous characters make it a true masterpiece.

Answer: Scarface

Tony Camonte has a couple of huge scars on his face, hence the title. It's never completely explained where he got them; he claims they are war wounds, but Lovo says they were picked up in a speakeasy.

The character Camonte, played by Paul Muni, is actually something of a rarity in gangster films since he's actually an unlikeable brute and isn't portrayed sympathetically at all. He is mocked for his lack of education when the girl he's after calls him "effeminate" and labels his taste as "gaudy", both of which he takes as compliments. His mother doesn't dote on him, and his overbearing behaviour towards his sister is disturbingly incestuous rather than simply over-protective, both of which upend the usual cliché that gangsters are good eggs when it comes to family. His only saving grace is how racked with guilt he is after murdering his most trustworthy pal.

Interestingly, it is to that same pal (Guino Rinaldo, played by George Raft) that he expounds his gangster's philosophy early in the picture. "There's only one law you gotta follow to keep out of trouble," Tony says as he pats his pistol in its holster, "Do it first. Do it yourself. Keep on doing it."

"Scarface" is a gangster classic, arguably the absolute gangster classic. It's rough and tough, especially the early scenes when the reckless, ruthless abandon with which the gangsters approach "business" is portrayed.

When Brian De Palma remade "Scarface" in 1983, the character Scarface became Cuban immigrant Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) rather than the Italian-American played by Muni.

Answer: G Men

The title "G Men" stands for "government men", i.e. federal agents. What later became known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was at the time of production known as the Bureau of Investigation (BOI). Apparently, at the time the BOI could employ only trained lawyers and accountants, which caused friction between the older agents and the new recruits. Cagney's character Brick Davis is initially seen as a smart aleck college graduate by his immediate superior, then distrusted when his grubby past comes to light. He is eventually respected as a "great guy".

"G Men" is fascinating since it was part of a concerted effort to move away from the perceived glorification of gangsters in films. Cagney, who had helped build up that lawless hero, was cast as a straight guy. His tough-guy image was preserved, however.

Answer: The Ladykillers

The five men are actually planning a robbery, which they carry out. Mrs. Wilberforce sees the stolen money and can't be talked out of going to the police, so the gang draw straws to decide who will have to kill her, hence the title.

Major Courtney, played by Cecil Parker, is supposed to knock the landlady off, but he attempts to slope off rather than do the dirty deed. Following the Major's botched escape, anarchy ensues and the gang members turn on each other.

Alec Guinness played the mastermind Professor Marcus, Herbert Lom was the sinister Louis Harvey, Peter Sellers played the spiv Mr. Robinson, and Danny Green provides the brawn as 'One-Round' Lawson.

Answer: Trans-Europ-Express

The train they are travelling on, which is the setting for their film, is the Trans Europ Express of the title. Alain Robbe-Grillet plays the screenwriter and his wife Catherine Robbe-Grillet is the continuity girl who constantly points out flaws in his plot. The third person in their carriage is the film producer Paul Louyet. Jean-Louis Trintignant plays the fictional drug-smuggler, but also himself when he comes in and sits with the threesome in the carriage where they are plotting the film. Seeing him there is what gives them the idea of casting him.

Robbe-Grillet said the idea for "Trans-Europ-Express" came from his infatuation with the trains used on the trailblazing Trans Europ Express line. The trains had carriages unlike others ever seen before in Europe, and what made such an impression on Robbe-Grillet were the huge windows. He also wanted to include something about the women shown in massive windows in the red-light district of Hamburg. Inconveniently for Robbe-Grillet, the Trans Europ Express didn't go to Hamburg, so it became Antwerp in the screenplay. Why Antwerp rather than one of the many other possible destinations? Because the producer had got his hands on Belgian financing for a Robbe-Grillet film.

Alain Robbe-Grillet's film is self-consciously cerebral, but also very funny. Robbe-Grillet had already made his name as a writer of nouveau roman literature before moving into films. He brought many of the tenets from the aforementioned literary movement, but his sense of humour is more self-evident in his films than his books, as is his fascination with sadomasochistic eroticism.

Answer: Mean Streets

The title "Mean Streets" comes from a Raymond Chandler essay on the art of detective literature called "The Simple Art of Murder".

"Mean Streets" was Martin Scorsese's third feature film and his first collaboration with Robert De Niro, who played Johnny Boy, and his second with Harvey Keitel, who played Charlie. The chemistry between the two actors is scintillating whether they are getting up to wacky hijinks or having a bust-up. The young-ish (he was 30) De Niro playing a loose cannon is amongst his best performances, and Keitel as Johnny's guilt-ridden savior also plays a blinder.

"Mean Streets" could be seen as a blueprint for many subsequent Scorsese mobster films. He might have honed down the brilliant use of music, editing, and slow-motion in later films, but the rough-and-tumble appeal of "Mean Streets" make it really special.

Answer: Foxy Brown

The cop's girlfriend is called Foxy Brown and she's the star of the show. Foxy is played by one of Blaxploitation's biggest stars, the wonderful Pam Grier. Her feckless brother is played by another regular of the genre, Antonio Fargas. The writer and director, Jack Hill, had already worked with Grier on a number of films, starting with "The Big Doll House" in 1971.

There is some terrible acting in "Foxy Brown". The white characters in particular suffer from either hamming it up or lackluster delivery of their lines, which might be intentional since it had traditionally been the characters from ethnic minorities who were given flat, stereotyped roles. The dialogue is fantastic, and both Foxy and her brother Link both have deliveries as snappy and snazzy as their attire.

Answer: The Long Good Friday

Harold, played by Bob Hoskins, is entertaining representatives of the American mob on his boat on the River Thames on the evening of Good Friday when everything goes pear-shaped. He has to try and sort it all out within 24 hours, hence a very long night.

"The Long Good Friday" launched Bob Hoskins' international career and it stands as one of his top performances. Harold is a complex character (it seems men of his ilk often are) who commits terrifyingly brutal acts yet has a very sentimental and nostalgic side.

The film really captures the atmosphere of London at the end of the 1970s, and the Cockney crooks in his employ are very convincing. Many of them went on to have prolific careers in British television and film, many turning up in Guy Ritchie's gangster films about 20 years later.

Answer: Bangkok Dangerous

"Bangkok Dangerous" is set in Bangkok and the hitman, Kong, lives a precarious existence. He works with a partner, Joe, whose girlfriend, Aom, is the intermediary who passes on the information, money and weapon for the next hit. She's a pivotal character.

Lots of "Bangkok Dangerous" is in flashback, which is an easy way to fill in plot details. There is an abundance of dramatic slow-motion too. Pawalit Mongkolpisit gives a captivating performance as Kong, which can't have been easy. When the film was inevitably remade with big American bucks, Nicolas Cage took Kong's character although he had a name change to Joe and was no longer either deaf or mute. He did still fall in love with a chemist, who was deaf-mute.

Answer: The Crew

The Crew of the title is Ged's mob, which Ratter is a part of at the beginning of the film. The Crew's main criminal activity is hijacking lorries and nicking the merchandise. Ratter is sick and tired of being told what to do by his older sibling, and also frustrated that The Crew is too old school to go into the profitable drug market.

"The Crew" featured little-known actors and a little-known director called Adrian Vitoria, but it was surprisingly successful. It's no masterpiece in terms of aesthetics but the unpredictable, well-crafted story is well-told, the pacing is just right and the performances are spot-on. The star of the piece for me is Stephen Graham as Franner, the local (Merseyside) big shot. He's really quiet, doesn't make many sudden gestures, is respectful, and very menacing. Graham had already made a name for himself as the mixed-up character Combo in Shane Meadows' "This Is England" (2006), and went on to play Al Capone in the American TV series "Boardwalk Empire".