Presented at the 1st Downtown Film Festival in Los Angeles, The End is a brutally honest portrait of post-World War II London’s East End and the men who grew up there. They lived through poverty and became gangsters in the criminal underworld. Filmmaking twin sisters, Nicola and Teena Collins, take a documented snapshot of these men and their confessions; one of them being their own father.

On a first impression you would immediately think you were watching an experimental 16mm black and white film print that reminisce a gritty grindhouse-type picture. But surprisingly, the riveting documentary was shot on a mini-DV camera. It’s hard to compare it to Goodfellas or Snatch because it really feels more along the lines of On the Waterfront. These men grew up like boxers. They all had to find ways to make their “bees and honey.” And they talk the talk (a few of them needed English subtitles to translate their strong cockney accents). There’s no question that these men are tough and they make no regrets for their actions, except for being “nicked.” It’s best not to get in a “row” with these men. They live by a code of honor which simply means don’t be the “bloke” to “grass” your friends… or your enemies (you just deal with them). Or else you will get “clumped” when they get out of the “bird” one day.

However, you don’t have much to fear from hearing these men tell their true stories. They’re smart not to reveal too much about their violent past but just enough to give you a glimpse of their rough history. The film doesn’t mean to glorify what they did but only shares how they were looking for a better life where crime was a lifestyle. You would be caught off guard by how charmingly open they can be from talking about the importance of family to the Christian faith.

The East End now has rapidly changed into a different, cultural neighborhood. First-time director Nicola Collins captured how it was then with the old-time gangsters and bare-knuckle fighters giving the viewers a ringside seat into their lives. The East End was their “jungle” and you will be knocked out by their chronicles.

For more information about the documentary and a dictionary of the vocabulary used, please visit The End website.

And make sure to check back to LA2DAY on August 30th for Nicola and Teena Collins' Fashion Photo-Spread, The Uniforms of LA.

Story by Victor Ho.