Stars: Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis, Paul Bettany, Kenneth Cranham, Saffron Burrows, Doug Allen, Eddie Marsan, Jamie Foreman, Andrew Lincoln

Director: Paul McGuigan

Summary: It's 1968 and Freddie Mays is King of London's gangland. 'Gangster' joins Freddie's firm and becomes his right hand man. He tortures and even murders for him - the two of them becoming a great team. Mays then falls for Karen, a nightclub hostess but by then things have started to get out of control...

When a young gangster (Paul Bettany) starts working for gang leader Freddie Mays (David Thewlis), known as the Butcher of Mayfair, he dreams of being everything that Freddie is: smooth, sophisticated, impeccably dressed, always with the right women, and driving the fanciest cars. Freddie takes the young gangster (unnamed in the film but listed as Gangster 55 in the credits) under his wing as a potential war with a rival gang starts to heat up. After Freddie falls for Karen (Saffron Burrows), whom 55 had his eye on, the young gangster lies in wait for an opportunity to change things, and when that moment comes, he leaves a bloodbath of betrayal in his wake.
Paul McGuigan's GANGSTER NO. 1 is framed by scenes set in the present, where the aging 55, played with delicious villainy by Malcolm McDowell, narrates the tale of his younger self's rise to power in Soho in the late 1960s. Bettany is a revelation as 55, who seems to enjoy a bit of the old ultraviolence now and again; when he tells a potential victim (or even a friend) to look into his eyes, it is hard for the audience as well not to be mesmerised--and scared out of their wits. McGuigan's fast-paced direction includes creative split screens, extreme close-ups, fireballs coming right at the viewer, and a sweeping handheld camera all set to a swinging 1960s score.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on August 31, 2006 8:16 AM

This is a neat wee gangster film and Paul Bettany as the young man appropriately called Gangster is well and totally over the top ! The settings in the late sixties are pretty good and the film has a great cast including veteran actor Ken Cranham. But you just have the feeling that this film will end in tears, and a blood - fest that could rival even Peckinpah. The ending with Malcolm McDowell as the aging Gangster who finds out that his main rival from his past is back on the manor has a neat and weird twist at the end!

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Gangster No. 1is without doubt the most stylish British violent crime thriller from the many produced at the end of the 20th century. For all the pop-video glamour of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrelsand Snatch, neither have anywhere near as much a sense of danger as is shown here. Paul Bettany ignites the screen with a fury that explodes far more than it smoulders beneath his tautly kept temper. The tale concerns his ascent to the titular position of primacy in 1960s London, told in flashback by his present-day self (an equally riveting Malcolm McDowell). A lust for power won't allow anything to stand in either incarnation's way, especially the foppish posturing of established crime boss Freddie Mays (David Thewlis). What distinguishes this from many other tales of greed is that the never-named Gangster actually wants to be Freddie, not simply replace him. Saffron Burrows plays the suffering trophy moll in the middle of this personality clash and provides about the only level head and gentle tongue in what is otherwise a super-violent and super-profane script. This is what The Kraysshould have been, and therefore not for the squeamish. --Paul Tonks

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors Commentary, Isolated Music Score, Deleted Scenes, Cast And Crew Interviews, Behind The Scenes, Theatrical Trailer, Audio Description For The Visually Impaired
Year:	2000
Release Date:	June 12, 2002
Runtime:	99 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 9001
Label:	Film Four Distributors
Keywords:	Gangster, General, Wide, Screen, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller