Steve Glover’s screenplay “The Three Legree’s”, written in 2004 but set in the mid-1990s, is a cautionary tale that blends dark humour with themes of ambition, greed, and the twists of fate. The story opens in war-torn Sierra Leone before swiftly transporting us to the criminal underworld of Brighton, England.
The plot revolves around Brighton gang boss Vinnie Legree and his brother Tommy, who dream of going legitimate by opening a glamorous casino. However, Tommy is murdered in mysterious circumstances in the woods, throwing a spanner in the works. We soon meet a hapless aspiring actor named Shaun Wells who stumbles upon a case full of cash in those same woods, presumably leading to Tommy’s demise.
As Vinnie seeks vengeance for his brother’s death and tries to track down the missing money, Shaun’s life spirals out of control. He breaks up with his fiancée Beatrice, owes money to a sadistic loan shark, and starts an ill-advised affair with the loan shark’s wife Moira. Meanwhile, two menacing Africans arrive in Brighton looking for their stolen diamonds and cash.
Glover weaves together these seemingly disparate threads with skill, peppering the script with colourful characters and sudden bursts of violence. There’s a priest with a guilty secret, a pretentious gangster’s moll, and even an unfortunate BNP thug who meets a grisly end from an escaped circus lion. The dialogue crackles with profane wit, especially when it comes to Vinnie and his snooty wife Camilla trading barbs.
While the screenplay revels in poking fun at its motley crew of criminals, thugs and misfits, an underlying theme emerges – the futility of best-laid plans in the face of fickle fate. As Vinnie says, “Innocence is no defence”, but in the end, neither is guilt. The final scene, with Shaun celebrating his new life in Australia while his lover Moira cheats on him in the airplane bathroom, perfectly encapsulates the story’s wicked humour and jaundiced view of human nature.
In summary, “The Three Legree’s” is an entertaining romp through the Brighton underworld with a sting in its tail. Glover gleefully subverts the “crime doesn’t pay” cliché, instead reminding us that even the most carefully plotted schemes can unravel through sheer happenstance. It would make a devilishly funny and stylish crime thriller on the big screen.
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