'Essex Boys' Analysis

Essex Boys was released in 2000, directed by Terry Windsor, starring Charlie Creed-Miles and Sean Bean. It’s based on a true story about three drug dealers and their events.

The scene starts in garage, a place of dereliction and unpleasantness. This is an example of ambient lighting, it’s dark and gloomy, and the darkness heightens the sense of alienation and fear, which is commonly used in thriller films. Once the light comes on the audience see the cob webs. The cob webs suggest dereliction and unpleasantness. It then cuts to a medium shot of Sean Bean (one of the main characters), with dialog. The dialog is significant in this scene, as he says he would give bestiality a ‘swerve’, which is the complete opposite to what actually happens. It cuts to a point of view shot of Jason Locke (another one of the main characters). The body language of Jason suggests that he is in power, and that it’s his area. The wiping of the windscreen may be similar to the wiping of a clean slate, and starting fresh, after Jason’s imprisonment for armed robbery, almost starting a new reason to be imprisoned again. It then cuts to a close up of Jason; this develops a relationship between the audience and Jason, and enforces the role of main character.

There is a vanishing point, to which the pair are vastly approaching, with a non-diegetic soundtrack in the background, building up suspense for what is about to happen. The vanishing point highlights the place of danger, of which the pair is driving into. Yet another vanishing point is shown, which again emphasizes the danger of which is yet to be established. It then cuts to a medium close up of Jason with his hands behind his head, he seems calm and focused, and this could suggest that he is arrogant and ignorant. The audience then see the light reflection made to look like prison cell bars. This suggests that Billy is trapped and can’t escape, but also suggests that he can’t see the trouble he is getting himself into.


The quick shot reverse shot of Jason and the man relates these two together. Because Jason is holding a chair leg, the shot reverse shot connotes violence towards the man. After the being beaten and having acid thrown in his face the man is flung into a white van. The white van suggests mystery and suspense, anything could be in the van and no-one would know or be suspicious about it. Jason realises there is acid on his shirt, his body language suggests that he is more worried about his shirt than the man’s face. This reinforces the fact that he is arrogant.

It then cuts to a swamp type area (the Essex marshes) on the edge of a deserted shore. The weather and dereliction suggests that this area is where the scum go. The man tries to wash his face, but Jason kicks him down, as if to say that this area is his place; Essex is Jason’s palace. It cuts to an extreme long shot of the white van driving away, leaving the acid covered man in the middle of nowhere, and shows just how deserted the place is, and suggests there is no way out for the man.

‘Essex Boys’ can be compared to ‘Animal Kingdom’, because it is an example of survival of the fittest, as the characters are trying to survive in the harsh environment.