The Business (film)
Encyclopedia
The Business is a 2005 British
drama
/crime
/gangster film written and directed by Nick Love
. The film stars Danny Dyer
, Tamer Hassan
and Roland Manookian
all of which were in Love's previous film The Football Factory
. It also stars Geoff Bell
and Georgina Chapman
. The plot of The Business follows the Greek tragedy-like rise and fall of a young cockney
's career within a drug importing business run by a group of British ex-pat fugitive
criminals living on the coast of the Costa del Sol
(aka the "Costa del Crime") in Spain
.
during the Thatcher Era
of the 1980s, with little hope of ever making anything of himself, yet he dreams of "being somebody" and escaping the dull, grey urban landscape. After seriously assaulting his mother's abusive boyfriend, he becomes a fugitive, and through family connections escapes to Spain
's Costa Del Sol. His job there is to deliver a bag containing drugs and cash to "Playboy Charlie" (Hassan), an ex-pat and criminal-on-the-run, a suave and dapper man who is very successful in Spain and runs his own nightclub and drugs business and lives a life of excess and luxury. Impressed by Frankie's honesty in not opening the bag, Charlie takes a liking to Frankie, introduces him to his business associates, including the psychopathic Sammy (Bell), and invites him to remain in Spain and work as his driver.
Frankie discovers that they are in fact the "Peckham
Four", wanted for armed robbery back in Britain. However, Frankie decides he prefers an exciting life of sun, drugs, women, money, fine cars and clothes, and a reputation, as opposed to being a nobody back in London. Frankie soon accepts and becomes involved in the business of smuggling cannabis
across the Strait of Gibraltar
from Morocco
, in which children are used although the children are sometimes shot dead by the Spanish Navy
patrolmen.
The film then follows the rise-and-fall pattern common to many gangster films, showing first the criminals living the high life as their cannabis trade is booming, and then the downfall as greed and jealousy (not helped by the obvious attraction between Frankie and Sammy's beautiful trophy wife
Carly) introduce rivalries between them, and eventually split them up. Charlie and Frankie decide to go into business alone, importing cocaine
instead of cannabis through drop-offs from Colombia
n aeroplanes, but this is the cause of the final catastrophe. Not only do they both become increasingly addicted to the drug itself, but also the local mayor, who had been happy to ignore the cannabis trade but had warned them not to import cocaine, discovers what they are doing and uses the weight of the law to shut them down and close their businesses. An assassination attempt on the mayor's life ends in failure, and the gruesome death of one of the gang.
A few years later (six months before the 'real-time' narration), Frankie and Charlie are homeless thugs in need of a wash and reduced to stealing in order to survive. While organising a disappointing reunion party at Charlie's old bar (which Frankie's former heroin addict friend Sonny is now running), Frankie meets the scheming Carly again and decides to make one last deal. He invites Sammy in on a pick-up, but while both intend to betray the other, Carly has given Sammy a pistol with an empty clip. Sammy tries to shoot Frankie, who in turn beats him with a rock. The fight ends quickly as Spanish Navy patrolmen shoot Sammy to death, and Frankie escapes through a sewage outlet. Frankie emerges from the sewer to meet Carly, who had masterminded the whole thing, finally getting his happy ending. But at the last minute, he realises he can't trust Carly when he finds another pistol in her handbag amongst their money, so he knocks her out and drives off into the sunset on his own.
The ending reveals that Sonny cleaned up his act and continued to run Charlie's old bar, which he did so successfully, whilst Charlie was reduced to working on the door
. The theatrical ending also reveals that "Carly went back to her parent's house in Penge
", "Sammy went to Hell
" and "Frankie went to Hollywood" - an obvious pun
on the name of popular 1980s band Frankie Goes to Hollywood
.
). The songs featured include:
Upon release, The Business received largely positive reviews from lads' mags, which also targeted the same audience as the intended audience of the film. Front Magazine
said the film has "more guns than Goodfellas
, more coke than Casino
and more swearing than Scarface
"; Nuts magazine said that the film is "the coolest British film since Layer Cake
"; Zoo magazine
said "this film will actually make you think that the 80s were cool. Another top job by the director of The Football Factory
"; What's on TV
said "A rush of 80s mood, fashion and music and nailbiting climax are the icing on a brilliant crime cake".
Outside the world of lads' mags, critical reception to the film was mixed to negative. The Business currently has a 50% rating on aggregate ratings site Rotten Tomatoes
based on six reviews.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
/crime
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
/gangster film written and directed by Nick Love
Nick Love
Nick Love is a British film director and writer. Love came to public attention in the UK after making the films The Football Factory, The Business and The Firm. He has two 'Millwall' tattoos, including one on the inside of his bottom lip.Love is well known for collaborating with actor Danny Dyer...
. The film stars Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...
, Tamer Hassan
Tamer Hassan
Tamer Hassan is a British actor of Turkish Cypriot descent.-Early life:Hassan was born in London, England into a Turkish Cypriot family. Having sustained an injury in boxing, Hassan started to run nightclubs and restaurants and is now the owner, chairman and player/coach of Greenwich Borough and...
and Roland Manookian
Roland Manookian
Roland Manookian is an English actor of Armenian descent, who is most notable for his role as Zebedee, in the 2004 film The Football Factory, and as Craig Rolfe in Rise of the Footsoldier in 2007. He has also appeared in Guy Richie's Rocknrolla and Nick Love's Goodbye Charlie Bright and The Business...
all of which were in Love's previous film The Football Factory
The Football Factory
The Football Factory is a 2004 English film directed by Nick Love and stars Danny Dyer, Tamer Hassan, Frank Harper and Neil Maskell. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by John King....
. It also stars Geoff Bell
Geoff Bell (actor)
Geoff Bell is an English actor.-Career:He has appeared in many films, mostly as a cameo appearance or as a supporting role.He has appeared in Girl with a Pearl Earring, Stardust, The Long Firm, Making Waves, The Business and RocknRolla.One of his most well-known films is Green Street, where he...
and Georgina Chapman
Georgina Chapman
Georgina Chapman is an English fashion designer and actress. Chapman, alongside Keren Craig, an actress and a former model, are the co-founders of fashion label Marchesa.-Biography:...
. The plot of The Business follows the Greek tragedy-like rise and fall of a young cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
's career within a drug importing business run by a group of British ex-pat fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
criminals living on the coast of the Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
(aka the "Costa del Crime") in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Plot
The film is narrated by Frankie (Dyer), a young man living in South East LondonSouth East (London sub region)
The South East is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. The sub region was established in 2008. The south east has a population of 1,300,000 and is the location of 500,000 jobs...
during the Thatcher Era
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
of the 1980s, with little hope of ever making anything of himself, yet he dreams of "being somebody" and escaping the dull, grey urban landscape. After seriously assaulting his mother's abusive boyfriend, he becomes a fugitive, and through family connections escapes to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's Costa Del Sol. His job there is to deliver a bag containing drugs and cash to "Playboy Charlie" (Hassan), an ex-pat and criminal-on-the-run, a suave and dapper man who is very successful in Spain and runs his own nightclub and drugs business and lives a life of excess and luxury. Impressed by Frankie's honesty in not opening the bag, Charlie takes a liking to Frankie, introduces him to his business associates, including the psychopathic Sammy (Bell), and invites him to remain in Spain and work as his driver.
Frankie discovers that they are in fact the "Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
Four", wanted for armed robbery back in Britain. However, Frankie decides he prefers an exciting life of sun, drugs, women, money, fine cars and clothes, and a reputation, as opposed to being a nobody back in London. Frankie soon accepts and becomes involved in the business of smuggling cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
across the Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, in which children are used although the children are sometimes shot dead by the Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
patrolmen.
The film then follows the rise-and-fall pattern common to many gangster films, showing first the criminals living the high life as their cannabis trade is booming, and then the downfall as greed and jealousy (not helped by the obvious attraction between Frankie and Sammy's beautiful trophy wife
Trophy wife
Trophy wife is an expression used to describe a wife, usually young and attractive, who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband, who is often older and affluent.-History:The term's etymological origins are disputed...
Carly) introduce rivalries between them, and eventually split them up. Charlie and Frankie decide to go into business alone, importing cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
instead of cannabis through drop-offs from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n aeroplanes, but this is the cause of the final catastrophe. Not only do they both become increasingly addicted to the drug itself, but also the local mayor, who had been happy to ignore the cannabis trade but had warned them not to import cocaine, discovers what they are doing and uses the weight of the law to shut them down and close their businesses. An assassination attempt on the mayor's life ends in failure, and the gruesome death of one of the gang.
A few years later (six months before the 'real-time' narration), Frankie and Charlie are homeless thugs in need of a wash and reduced to stealing in order to survive. While organising a disappointing reunion party at Charlie's old bar (which Frankie's former heroin addict friend Sonny is now running), Frankie meets the scheming Carly again and decides to make one last deal. He invites Sammy in on a pick-up, but while both intend to betray the other, Carly has given Sammy a pistol with an empty clip. Sammy tries to shoot Frankie, who in turn beats him with a rock. The fight ends quickly as Spanish Navy patrolmen shoot Sammy to death, and Frankie escapes through a sewage outlet. Frankie emerges from the sewer to meet Carly, who had masterminded the whole thing, finally getting his happy ending. But at the last minute, he realises he can't trust Carly when he finds another pistol in her handbag amongst their money, so he knocks her out and drives off into the sunset on his own.
The ending reveals that Sonny cleaned up his act and continued to run Charlie's old bar, which he did so successfully, whilst Charlie was reduced to working on the door
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
. The theatrical ending also reveals that "Carly went back to her parent's house in Penge
Penge
Penge is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Bromley. It is located south east of Charing Cross.-History:Penge was once a small town, which was recorded under the name Penceat in a Saxon deed dating from 957...
", "Sammy went to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
" and "Frankie went to Hollywood" - an obvious pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
on the name of popular 1980s band Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
.
Cast
- Danny DyerDanny DyerDanny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...
as Frankie - Tamer HassanTamer HassanTamer Hassan is a British actor of Turkish Cypriot descent.-Early life:Hassan was born in London, England into a Turkish Cypriot family. Having sustained an injury in boxing, Hassan started to run nightclubs and restaurants and is now the owner, chairman and player/coach of Greenwich Borough and...
as Charlie - Geoff BellGeoff BellGeoff Bell may refer to:*Geoff Bell , Australian rugby league footballer*Geoff Bell , British actor*Geoffrey Bell , economist, banker*Geoffrey Bell -See also:*Jeffrey Bell...
as Sammy - Georgina ChapmanGeorgina ChapmanGeorgina Chapman is an English fashion designer and actress. Chapman, alongside Keren Craig, an actress and a former model, are the co-founders of fashion label Marchesa.-Biography:...
as Carly - Linda HenryLinda HenryLinda Henry is an English actress, best known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV television drama Bad Girls and Shirley Carter in the BBC's soap opera EastEnders.- Early life :...
as Shirley - Roland ManookianRoland ManookianRoland Manookian is an English actor of Armenian descent, who is most notable for his role as Zebedee, in the 2004 film The Football Factory, and as Craig Rolfe in Rise of the Footsoldier in 2007. He has also appeared in Guy Richie's Rocknrolla and Nick Love's Goodbye Charlie Bright and The Business...
as Sonny - Camille CoduriCamille CoduriCamille Coduri is an English actress. She is best known for her role in Doctor Who as Jackie Tyler.-Career:She featured in the film comedies Nuns on the Run and King Ralph...
as Nora - Andy ParfittAndy ParfittAndrew Parfitt is an English radio administrator who was the Controller of BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom, He held that role from 1998-2011, taking over from Matthew Bannister...
as Andy - Michael Maxwell as Jimmy
- Arturo Venegas as The Mayor
- Eddie Webber as Ronnie
- Dan Mead as Danny
- Sally Watkins as Mum
- Alex Goodger as Dead Morrocan Child
Soundtrack
The original music for the film was written by Ivor Guest, but most of the soundtrack consists of popular 80s chart hits, which give the film much of its atmosphere and flavour. The soundtrack shares some of the tracks (Nick Love's 2004 film, The Football FactoryThe Football Factory
The Football Factory is a 2004 English film directed by Nick Love and stars Danny Dyer, Tamer Hassan, Frank Harper and Neil Maskell. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by John King....
). The songs featured include:
- Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
– "Planet EarthPlanet Earth (song)"Planet Earth" is the debut single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 2 February 1981.It was an immediate hit in the band's native UK, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart on 21 February, and did even better in Australia, hitting #8 to become Duran Duran's first Top 10 hit...
" - Frankie Goes to HollywoodFrankie Goes to HollywoodFrankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
– "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" - Mary Jane GirlsMary Jane GirlsThe Mary Jane Girls were an American R&B, soul, funk and disco group in the 1980s. They were protégées of singer Rick James. They are known for their hit songs "All Night Long", "Candyman" and "In My House".-Formation:...
– "All Night Long" - The CultThe CultThe Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
– "Wild Flower" - Loose EndsLoose Ends (band)Loose Ends was a successful British R&B band that had several urban contemporary hits. The trio was formed in London in 1980, initially comprising vocalist and guitarist Carl McIntosh, vocalist Jane Eugene, and keyboard player, writer and founder Steve Nichol...
– "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)" - Rick JamesRick JamesJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
– "Ghetto Life" - BlondieBlondie (band)Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
- Heart of GlassHeart of Glass (song)"Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...
" - Simple MindsSimple MindsSimple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
– "Don't You (Forget About Me)Don't You (Forget About Me)"Don't You " is a song known for its being in the soundtrack to the film The Breakfast Club and performed by the band Simple Minds in 1985. The songwriters were producer Keith Forsey "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song known for its being in the soundtrack to the film The Breakfast Club and...
" - Martha and the MuffinsMartha and the MuffinsMartha and the Muffins are a Canadian new wave band, active from 1977 to the present. Although they only had one major international hit single under their original band name, they had a number of hits in their native Canada, and the core members of the band also charted in Canada and...
– "Echo BeachEcho Beach"Echo Beach" is a song recorded by the Canadian group Martha and the Muffins in 1979. It was released as a single from their album Metro Music in 1980 and won the Juno Award for Single of the Year. It was certified gold in Canada on October 1, 1980, a month after Metro Music achieved gold status...
" - The BugglesThe BugglesThe Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
– "Video Killed the Radio StarVideo Killed the Radio Star"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British synthpop/New Wave group The Buggles, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979, on Island Records from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by...
" - A Flock of SeagullsA Flock of SeagullsA Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...
– "I Ran (So Far Away)I Ran (So Far Away)"I Ran" is a song by English New Wave band A Flock of Seagulls. It was released on their debut album A Flock of Seagulls in 1982 and was its most successful single, reaching number 9 in the United States and number 1 in Australia.-Single:The single was promoted by a distinctive music video in...
" - Belouis SomeBelouis SomeBelouis Some is a British New Wave musician. He had hits in the 1980s with "Some People", "Round Round", , plus "Imagination" which also achieved success on the European and , and can be heard in the films Ghost Chase and The Business...
– "Imagination" - ShannonShannon (singer)Shannon is an American singer. She is best known for her 1983 million-selling record, "Let the Music Play". The record re-defined the electro funk sound that would eventually be called freestyle music.-Biography:...
– "Let the Music Play" - David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
– "Modern LoveModern Love (song)"Modern Love" is a song written and recorded by David Bowie, and the first track on his album Let's Dance. It was issued as the third single from the album in 1983....
" - Talk TalkTalk TalkTalk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....
– "It's My LifeIt's My Life (Talk Talk song)"It's My Life" is a song by the British synthpop band Talk Talk. Written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, it was the title track on the band's second album in 1984. The song was released as a single in January 1984, then again in 1985, and a third time in 1990 when it finally became a hit and...
" - The KnackThe KnackThe Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :...
– "My SharonaMy Sharona"My Sharona" is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboards Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry...
" - Roxy MusicRoxy MusicRoxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
– "Avalon" - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkOrchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
– "Maid of OrleansMaid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)"Joan of Arc " is a song by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and was the third single released from their third studio album Architecture & Morality....
" - Adam and the AntsAdam and the AntsAdam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
– "Kings of the Wild Frontier" - BlondieBlondie (band)Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
– "Call MeCall Me (Blondie song)"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. Released in 1980, "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the US and the UK ....
"
Critical reception
The Business was nominated for "Best Achievement in Production" at the 2005 British Independent Film Award, although it lost to Gypo.Upon release, The Business received largely positive reviews from lads' mags, which also targeted the same audience as the intended audience of the film. Front Magazine
Front Magazine
FRONT Illustrated Paper was published by the Military Publishing and Press Center of the Yugoslav Peoples Army....
said the film has "more guns than Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
, more coke than Casino
Casino (film)
Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese...
and more swearing than Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
"; Nuts magazine said that the film is "the coolest British film since Layer Cake
Layer Cake (film)
Layer Cake is a 2004 British crime thriller produced and directed by Matthew Vaughn, in his directorial debut. It is based on the novel Layer Cake by J. J...
"; Zoo magazine
Zoo Magazine
Zoo Magazine was also the name of a magazine formerly produced by the Zoological Society of London for its Young Zoologists' Club.Zoo Magazine is a magazine based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that was first created on 25 September 2003. It focuses on fashion, art, literature and architecture and is...
said "this film will actually make you think that the 80s were cool. Another top job by the director of The Football Factory
The Football Factory
The Football Factory is a 2004 English film directed by Nick Love and stars Danny Dyer, Tamer Hassan, Frank Harper and Neil Maskell. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by John King....
"; What's on TV
What's On TV
What's on TV is a weekly television listings magazine published by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.-Overview:What's on TV is a weekly UK television magazine. It publishes features, TV listings, news and gossip from soap operas, as well as puzzles and competitions...
said "A rush of 80s mood, fashion and music and nailbiting climax are the icing on a brilliant crime cake".
Outside the world of lads' mags, critical reception to the film was mixed to negative. The Business currently has a 50% rating on aggregate ratings site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on six reviews.