Once Upon a Time in London
A violent historical gangster drama tracing Billy Hill and Jack Comer’s ascent, dominance, and collapse within London’s criminal underworld.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- gritty
- violent
- tense
- crime film marathon
- true crime viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the gangster biography violent and familiar, with limited overall critical approval.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film dramatizes the lives and criminal careers of Billy Hill and Jack Comer, whose empire influenced later London gangsters.
The plot charts the nationwide rise and fall of Hill and Comer’s criminal empire.
The film places its gangster drama within London’s criminal underworld and its nationwide influence.
Its explicit arc follows the legendary rise and fall of two notorious gangsters.
Films like Once Upon a Time in London, and why
Legend
shared gangster biographical drama, criminal empire, and violent rise-and-fall narrative
The Krays
shared british gangster milieu, organized crime, and historical criminal underworld
Black Mass
shared true-crime gangster storytelling, criminal ambition, and harsh violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Simon Rumley
- Release Date
- 2019-04-19
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 5.3 / 10 (57)
Cast
- Terry Stone
- Leo Gregory
- Holly Earl
- Jamie Foreman
- Justin Salinger
- Dominic Keating
- Geoff Bell
- Michael McKell
- Andy Beckwith
- Theo Devaney
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Once Upon a Time in London about?
- A violent historical gangster drama tracing Billy Hill and Jack Comer’s ascent, dominance, and collapse within London’s criminal underworld.
- What is Once Upon a Time in London like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Once Upon a Time in London as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Once Upon a Time in London violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Once Upon a Time in London as graphic.
- What did critics think of Once Upon a Time in London?
- Critics broadly found the gangster biography violent and familiar, with limited overall critical approval.
- Which films are like Once Upon a Time in London?
- Films with a similar feel include Legend, The Krays, and Black Mass.
- How long is Once Upon a Time in London?
- Once Upon a Time in London runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Once Upon a Time in London?
- In United States, Once Upon a Time in London streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel.
