Citizen Gangster

The true story of one of Canada's most famous bandits comes to the big screen in this drama from writer and director Nathan Morlando. In 1949, Edwin Boyd (Scott Speedman) was a World War II veteran living in Toronto, struggling to support his wife Doreen (Kelly Reilly) and their three children by driving a bus and working odd jobs. Boyd dreams of moving to California and trying his luck as an actor, but it becomes increasingly clear this opportunity isn't about to present itself, and his father (Brian Cox) makes no secret of his disappointment with his son. Frustrated with his lot in life and desperate for money, he robs a bank using a gun he'd brought back from the war, and he discovers he likes the excitement and drama of armed robbery. Boyd eventually pushes his luck with too many heists and ends up in prison, but while behind bars he meets Willie "The Clown" Jackson (Brendan Fletcher), Lenny Jackson (Kevin Durand), and Val Kozak (Joseph Cross). Together, they hatch a plot to escape from prison, and once on the outside they become the nation's most notorious outlaw gang and are hailed as folk heroes in an uncertain age. Edwin Boyd was based in part on director Morlando's own correspondence with the real-life Edwin Boyd, who died in 2002; the picture was named Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.