Essex Boys is a 2000 British crime film. It was directed by Terry Winsor and stars Sean Bean, Alex Kingston, Tom Wilkinson, Charlie Creed-Miles and Holly Davidson.

Plot

The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culminated in the Rettendon murders of three drug dealers in the village of Rettendon in Essex, England.

Cast

Production

The film was shot on location around Essex. In particular Southend on Sea, Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea, and the Dartford Crossing, where the gang travels from Kent to Essex.

Reception

The film met with generally negative critical reviews, maintaining a 17% rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews. It opened on 54 screens in the United Kingdom on 14 July 2000 and grossed £111,548 in its opening weekend, finishing ninth at the UK box office.

Similar films

The films Rise of the Footsoldier (2007), Bonded by Blood (2010), The Fall of the Essex Boys (2013), Essex Boys Retribution (2013), Essex Boys Law of Survival (2015) and The Essex Boys Tapes (2024) are also based – to varying degrees – on the Rettendon murders.