2. Synopsis
• The Levines is a crime drama that is different to the stereotypical
crime films today. It focuses on loan shark Ted Levine as he comes up
against an undercover police officer and rival gangsters in a bid to stay
alive and off the streets. Ted isn’t a rich man, he's a troubled man, he
isn’t like Pablo Escobar or John Gotti. Like many legitimate hard
working people he struggles to stay afloat, and being involved in
crime isn’t a stable occupation. Can Levine stay ahead of not only the
law, but his rivals too? Will he be going home, or to her Majesty’s
Prison
3. Logline
• The Sopranos meets The Big Short, the Levines is a crime drama like
no other, in most crime shows they show the criminal on top of the
world, whereas Levine struggles to keep up with his rent. It’s a three
way battle between Levine, prison and death.
4. Screenplay Structure
• Act 1 – the film introduces us to our main characters, we establish that there’s a new undercover
operation against loanshark Ted Levine, and an agent known as ‘Pesci’ will be sent in to conduct
this operation. But we realise that the officer that sent Pesci in is indebt to Levine, and this
operation is an attempt to get rid of Levine so he doesn’t have to pay his debt.
• Act 2 – Levine and Pesci are introduced after a meeting in the park, Levine confides in Pesci that
he’s struggling with a rival loan shark named Johnny and needs Johnny to die. Levine suggested
Pesci do the contract after seeing that Pesci had a gun, deducing that Pesci couldn’t be a police
officer because in the United Kingdom the police aren’t allowed guns except for armed police
who respond against terrorist incidents. The contract has been set.
• Act 3 – Pesci is uneasy about the murder contract, which is why after a chance encounter, Levine
pulls the trigger himself on Johnny. Pesci is split between this, as he doesn’t condone violence but
he does feel sympathy for Levine, however he now realizes that he was sent in not because Levine
is dangerous, but because his boss owes Levine money. The final scene is a standoff, with Levine
and Pesci pointing their guns at Pesci’s boss. The film ends with the screen cutting to black and
gunshots (mirroring the ending of the Sopranos)
5. Characters / Actors
• Ted Levine (portrayed by James Golightly) – Levine is a loanshark, head of the Levines gang who
are apart of a much bigger organization named the Blossom gang. The Blossom gang are a
domestic criminal organization with many different proxy groups over the United Kingdom. They
are the UK equivalent of the Camorra, a widespread organization with its grip on many regions of
Italy. He is important because he is the target of this operation.
• ‘Joseph ‘Pesci’ Amato’ (portrayed by Ryan Lock) - Pesci is an undercover agent sent by his boss to
gain enough information so they can arrest Levine, but then Pesci realizes there’s more to this
operation than meets the eye. It shows the corruption around him, that the police only want
Levine off the streets just so they don’t have to pay him, not because they want the public to be
safe. His real identity is not known
• Andy Marr (portrayed by Dan Parkes) – Marr is the head of the undercover unit of the police, he is
the one who sends Pesci undercover against Levine, it is established that Marr owes Levine a
significant amount and would much rather cut his losses rather than actually pay his debt.
• Johnny Rourke (portrayed by Ethan Wilson) – Rourke is the rival loanshark in Sunderland, Levine
and Rourke have always been rivals but in recent times Rourke has gained more ground on
Levine’s operation, he causes Levine a lot of stress and it doesn’t help that the police are solely
focused on Levine and they’ve almost given Rourke some breathing space.
6. Locations
• There are 2 locations: the college (which is used for the undercover
police station and Levine’s office), Barnes Park (which is used for
when Levine and Pesci first meet and the events of the film).
• The locations are free to use and I have filled out the relevant forms
to use said location
