Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
| Citizen Gangster | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Nathan Morlando |
| Produced by | Daniel Bekerman |
| Written by | Nathan Morlando |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Max Richter |
| Cinematography | Steve Cosens |
| Edited by | Richard Comeau |
| Distributed by | Entertainment One |
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Release date
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Running time
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105 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Citizen Gangster is a 2011 Canadian drama film directed and written by Nathan Morlando.Scott Speedman stars as Canadian gangster and folk hero Edwin Alonzo Boyd.
The film originally premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival under the title Edwin Boyd but was retitled Citizen Gangster in general release.
A veteran of World War II, Edwin Boyd (Scott Speedman) is disillusioned and barely getting by as a Toronto bus driver. With his wife Doreen (Kelly Reilly), whom he met in England during the war, and two young children to support, he finds it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Adding to his dissatisfaction, Boyd has deep, unfulfilled dreams of making it as a star in Hollywood, a desire frowned upon by his retired policeman father (Brian Cox). Cox’s portrayal shows a man who disapproves of his son’s life and terrible decisions but is made more poignant by his sad attempts to maintain a father-son relationship.
In a moment of desperation, Boyd grabs an old pistol, disguises his face with theatrical greasepaint, and goes out to rob a bank; this sets off a series of events leading to one of Canada’s most infamous crime sprees.
Boyd forms a gang, which includes Lenny Jackson (Kevin Durand), Ann Roberts (Melanie Scrofano), and Val Kozak (Joseph Cross). Jackson is also a veteran of WWII, and with his muscular build is the picture of the hardened criminal. There is an uneasy relationship between him and Boyd, given the attention lavished on the latter by the media; yet the two of them, both war vets, have a deep, unspoken brotherly bond. Durand’s portrayal is of a man whose vulnerability is cloaked by a gruff, practical-minded exterior, but who reveals his poetic side to the woman he loves, Ann Roberts. One of only two women in the group, Ann reveals the human side of Lenny, behind the ruthless criminal in the headlines and on the radio. Val Kozak (Joseph Cross) is in a similar bind as Boyd, with a young wife and a desperate need to support his family. But he is also carrying on an affair with Mary Mitchell (Charlotte Sullivan), a fur-coat-wearing, flashy blonde party girl, whose flamboyant facade reveals a woman with past hurts and a deep-seated need for love and attention.
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