The release of Gangster Squad has got us reminiscing about our favourite screen mobsters, and we thought it was about time someone lent a voice to the most unsung criminal masterminds in film. But don’t go looking for Goodfellas and Godfathers – we’ve excluded Scorsese, because his characters are a whole top 10 on their own. NO MORE shall these forgotten bandits be ignored. Who’s the most ruthless, the most unsung gangster of them all? (Some of these are cartoons, by the way. What does that tell you about your childhood?)

Bursting with humour, poignancy and a good healthy splash of blood, Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to In Bruges is a crazed masterpiece featuring standout performances from its leads. In many ways a barmier, bloodier companion piece to Charlie Kaufman’s Adaptation, Seven Psychopaths is on one hand an intricately worked out, highly self-referential film that’s all about the creative process. On the other hand, it’s an excuse for a ragtag band of brilliant characters to stand around saying funny things to one another. And really, what more could you want?

Very nice, Martin McDonagh, very nice

STAB STAB STAB

So after a wet and blustery June and a less than tropical July, it looks like August is going to be no better. So, rather than delay the inevitable, best face facts now: that barbeque is staying in the shed, you’re not going to get a chance to wear that bikini and picnic food tastes rubbish when it’s covered in rain. However, last time we checked cinemas are all rain free! Huzzah! Here’s your pick of what’s to come next month!

One of those “Isn’t he the one from…” actors, Brendan Gleeson has been consistently delivering great performances for nearly twenty years, without ever really getting major recognition outside of industry circles. Perhaps with his current release The Guard getting glowing reviews, and with his directorial debut At Swim-Two-Birds in pre-production, he’ll finally be rooted in the public consciousness. Lord knows he deserves it.

Take In Bruges, add a dash of Hot Fuzz and you have The Guard, a sharply observed comedy set in Ireland, it may not please the easily offended but there are enough laughs here to ensure that Brendan Gleeson’s star turn is a must-see.

You never see a hard-working chair in the Hollywood credits, do you? Never doffed your cap to a really brilliant curtain, or a staggeringly talented knife? We celebrate the unsung heroes of the cinematic world: the inanimate objects that made their films iconic.

Ten years of film all neatly rolled into one awesomely epic list of greats! Feast your eyes on the Top 30 Films of the Decade.