Gangster No. 1 (2000)

Excellent but underrated film

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Gangster No. 1 is directed by Paul McGuigan and written by Johnny Ferguson, Louis Mellis and David Scinto. It stars David Thewlis, Paul Bettany, Malcolm McDowell, Saffron Burrows, Kenneth Cranham, Jamie Foreman and Eddie Marsan. Music is by John Dankworth and cinematography by Peter Sova. Gangster 55 (McDowell/Bettany as the younger version) looks back on his brutal life, on how he became a gangster... The British gangster genre of film was gathering apace in 2000. Guy Ritchie's Snatch would wow critics later in the year, while Ben Kingsley's ferocious turn in Sexy Beast (David Scinto and Louis Mellis co-write on that as well) would even get an Oscar nomination, yet Gangster No. 1 is the equal of both films but still doesn't have the acclaim afforded the others - undeservedly so. Predominantly set in the late 60s, with period flavours strong, pic doesn't pull its punches, and yet it is never over gratuitous with the violence and mania (but you do feel it big time) that surrounds Gangster 55 (Bettany brilliantly feral and frightening). It's with the characterisations where McGuigan's film gets its strength, we witness greed, blood lust and the yearning of power via chilling portrayals, set to the back drop of a scuzzy London underworld where even the vermin don't dare to dwell. This is a film not wanting to be loved thematically, but the top performances across the board and pic's ability to grab you by the throat - to not let go - makes it a rip- snorting slice of evil. Essential for those interested in the British gangster film revival of the noughties. 8/10

The gangster genre is a very prominent genre in the British film industry. Many do not have much to offer but we get some gems like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Layer Cake and The Long Good Friday. Gangster No. 1 is certainly not troubling the calibre of those films.In 1999 a leading nameless gangster (Malcolm McDowell) finds out the man he over thrown, Freddie Mays (David Thewlis) is about to be released from prison after servicing a 30 year sentence. The Gangster reflects on his rise back in 1968 as a young man (Paul Bettany) in a world of violence, double crossing and betrayal.Gangster No. 1 is slog of a film; it tells a gangster's rise which is not breaking any new ground and it is one of the general generic gangster films that plague the British film industry. Gangster No. 1 attempts at being a little artistic but it comes off as obnoxious, particularly with McDowell's voice-over. The story is basically a misogynistic psychopath becomes power mad and sees human life as expendable. The Gangster is a man who enjoys violence and pain and yet we are meant to believe he was a character who wanted love, a character who felt guilty over a murder.Bettany is an excellent actor and it was clear he must have watched A Clockwork Orange because he was channelling McDowell's Alex character. He has a certain menace and charisma when he spoke and he nailed the physical performance of McDowell. But McDowell was phoning in his performance and his voice-over throughout the film was grating. David Thewlis and Saffron Burrows were fine in the supporting roles and most of the cast were solid, but Jamie Foreman is horrible actor. Foreman is the son of a real life gangster but he is one of the least threatening hardmen put to screen and he did these weird ticks to the character which was distracting.Paul McGuigan directed Gangster No. 1 and his body of work is a mixed bag. With Gangster No. 1 he over stylises throughout, including in the beginning where we get an out of place moment when the older version of the Gangster suddenly speaks to the camera. The only two stylized moments are a split screen where we see the older and younger version of the Gangster are in the same shot and when the Gangster tortures someone and we see it from the point-of-view of the victim.Gangster No. 1 is violence and bloody film which is expected, but even though I expected the swearing it did go on overload, particularly with use of the C word. It actually was unpleasant to hear.Gangster No. 1 does have a good soundtrack of period pop song and a mostly solid cast but it is a nihilistic work that focuses on nothing but a horrid character that has no redeeming features or anything to say.

This is a story about a young ambitious man who likes being a gangster and when he is young the role is played by Young Gangster, (Paul Bettany). Freddie Mays, (David Thewlis) is the head king pin and decides to hire this young gangster who wants to fill his shoes someday. There are many flashbacks concerning the life of the young gangster and the older gangster played by Malcolm McDowell who managed to send Freddie Mays to prison and he also took over his entire business. There is plenty of blood and gore and rough and tough British crude language which is very hard to understand. This is a very unusual film and it will hold your interest right to the very end.

As I am generally quite easily pleased even by the most average of films, it takes a disaster of epic proportions to motivate me to comment on their faults at length. Here is an example.Being a fan of British cinema in general, I have found myself entertained by the glut of British gangster movies released in the late Nineties/ early noughties so I have to admit I was looking forward to a fun 90 minute distraction when I came across Gangster No. 1What we have here appears on the surface to be The Talented Mr Ripley meets The Krays, where by a cocky young crook stalks (for want of a better word) his classy mobster boss, destroys his relationship and generally tries to take over his life by using shall we say, less than ethical tactics. We flashback to London in the swinging sixties where we meet the unnamed Gangster 55, played in his youth by Bettany who displays rare but outstanding moments of cold detachment that stand above and beyond anything else in this film. Forward to 1999 and we meet the contemporary 55, who is now for some reason played by Malcolm McDowell giving a performance so poor and boring that his co stars seem visibly embarrassed. McGuigan over-directs to the point that he appears to be confusing himself, one scene portrays a brutal assault played out to lighthearted background music a la Resovoir Dogs displaying none of the panache and power of Tarantino's masterpiece. Even the novelty factor of seeing the scene from the victims POV appears tacked on when compared to the subsequent Cafe battering dished out in L4yer Cake which emulated it. A criminally underused Saffron Burrows joins what appears to be an excellent supporting cast, but even the core blimey guvnor genius of Kenneth Cranham and Jamie Forman cannot inject any life into what has to be one of the most lacklustre scripts of recent years:"You alright?" "Yeah." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "Yeah?"Utter rubbish