Gangster No. 1 Review
By Max Messier
Gangster No. 1 feels like pieces a bunch of other, better movies slapped together -- GoodFellas' musical selections, the violence from American Psycho and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a dash of any Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie style of editing, Malcolm McDowell in a performance recalling A Clockwork Orange. Some of it's fun, but it just isn't original or creative.
Gangster No. 1 tells the tale of McDowell's aging crime lord -- "Gangster 55" -- recalling his days of youth (played by Paul Bettany) as he rose to power under boss Freddie Mays (David Thewlis). In order to become Gangster No. 1, McDowell/Bettany's character kicks deadbeats' asses as one of May's bodyguards, plays tough guy when trouble is around, and finagles Mays into a confrontation with a local mob boss, which results in Freddie's attempted murder. Gangster 55 then becomes No. 1 when the local mob boss is murdered, in ugly fashion, and 55 frames Freddie for it, giving him 30 years in the big house. The movie then fast-forwards as Gangster No. 1 builds his empire. But when the music is over, Gangster No. 1 -- now an older, crazed man -- is now forced to confront his past and the consequences of his actions when his old boss is released from prison.
Even though the script is predictable and the film takes a long time to get started, the acting provides the strongest recommendation for the film. The standout performance from the film does not belong to the ranting and raving McDowell, but rather to the cool and collected performance by Paul Bettany (the guy who played Chaucer in A Knight's Tale). Bettany's portrayal of a sadistic and ethnically challenged young chap who likes to saw people's limbs off is downright uncomfortable. Even in the moments before the mayhem, Bettany lets out silent screams illustrating his predatory intents, which sent shivers up my spine.
The DVD features a commentary from McGuigan as well as a (single) deleted scene and a making-of featurette. Screened at the 24th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival.
One down, 53 to go.
Facts and Figures
Year: 2001
Run time: 103 mins
In Theaters: Friday 9th June 2000
Distributed by: IFC Films
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 2.5 / 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Fresh: 37 Rotten: 15
IMDB: 6.8 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Paul McGuigan
Producer: Jonathan Cavendish, Norma Heyman
Screenwriter: Johnny Ferguson
Starring: David Thewlis as Freddie Mays, Jamie Foreman as Lenny Taylor, Paul Bettany as younger Gangster, Malcolm McDowell as Gangster 55, Saffron Burrows as Karen, Kenneth Cranham as Tommy, Eddie Marsan as Eddie Miller, Andrew Lincoln as Maxie King, Doug Allen as Mad John, Razaaq Adoti as Roland, Cavan Clerkin as Billy, Johnny Harris as Derek
Also starring: Jonathan Cavendish, Norma Heyman, Johnny Ferguson
