Rating: 
Summary: B4 the Swan Dive
Review: Director Paul McGuigan directed Paul Bettany in "The Reckoning" which was a stylish medieval thriller. He also directed "Wicker Park" whose soundtrack CD far exceeded the merits of the confusingly edited film. "Gangster No. 1" is a decent crime drama that paints an unsympathetic look at Gangster 55 played by Paul Bettany in younger years and Malcolm McDowell in older years. Bettany, whose recent romantic comedy "Wimbledon" was delightful and shows great range, is pretty scary here as a guy who has a great talent for hurting people. He gets picked up in Freddie Mays' mob and apparently becomes jealous when Mays falls in love with the gorgeous Saffron Burrows. David Thewlis who played Paul Verlaine to Leonardo DiCaprio's Rimbaud in "Total Eclipse" and also starred with Brad Pitt in "7 Years in Tibet" and most recently in "Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban" does a nice job of being the randy high roller in youth and then the older and reformed ex-con 25 years later. Saffron Burrows who narrated the most recent Peter Pan movie and also played in "Troy" does a nice job as Karen who falls in love and then gets the ultimate sore throat. Malcolm McDowell whose career was launched with "A Clockwork Orange" and most recently was the billionaire tycoon in "In Good Company" brings a great intensity to the role before his final swan dive. Although this film is a bit bloody, it still was an interesting and entertaining crime genre film. The pacing is a tightly controlled rampage. I particularly enjoyed the lad running through the parking structure before Bettany's careening car. The film is more visceral than thoughtful, but still interesting cinema. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: another rise and fall
Review: extremely slow moving for my taste.
Rating:
Summary: Its All About The Numero Uno
Review: First off...great f'n movie! I have a serious...serious...mafia collection, ranging from the Yakuza flicks (Japanese Mafia) to the Italians...but I never seemed to think about the brits...well, now I do. If you're a fan of mafia/gangster flicks...this is a must have, let alone a must watch. Now, if you're a fan of the "make me actually think" movies...then you'll like this movie also...for it pits one deep into the demented cranium of a killer (and some shot sequences, the eyes of a victim). Great movie...may take you a few times to see it though ;)
Rating: 
Summary: GANGSTER #1 A HOME RUN!
Review: GANGSTER #1 joins the elite group of the great mob films from the UK: THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, SEXY BEAST, the original GET CARTER & even from the U.S.: THE LIMEY. malcolm mcdowell gives the best performance of his career since TIME AFTER TIME and that was 1979! it is a shame that this great brit actor had to make [bad] movies over the years (CALIGULA being 1 of them!). mcdowell is the title character who is shocked to find out his old friend/enemy, the original #1 (david thewliss)is being released from prison. he flashes back to 1968 in which he was "gangster #55" devilishly played by paul bettany & it focuses on how he met #1 and wound up being #1 himself. the violence is brutal especially 1 horrific scene where a mob boss thru his point of view is tortured & killed by bettany w/ his gun, his ax, his machete, his hands, his evil looks, etc. bettany strongly resembles mcdowell giving that CLOCKWORK ORANGE stare. it is strange and wacky that bettany grows up to be mcdowell while david thewliss matures to be-----david thewliss in his 60s under good makeup! still, this is a fantastic feature by paul mcguigan, very colorful with a wonderful late 60s soundtrack! it is in my top 10 best films list of 2002. a small great treasure!
Rating:
Summary: Gangster flick that bites.
Review: Gangster No. 1 is an absolute peach, a Cockney version Goodfellas, but darker. Whereas Scorcese paints a much larger picture in his maffia films, director Paul McGuigan narrows the focus on one upwardly mobile thug - depicting his meteoric rise from poolroom bum to king of the underworld (spanning the years 1968 - present day. Above all, Gangster No. 1 is a study of evil that makes Goodfellas look like Bugsy Malone. The acting, by Malcolm McDowell, David Thewliss (from "Naked") and in particular, the incendiary Paul Bettany - who is the pure personification of Evil - raises this movie high above Mafia-lite flicks like Snatch or Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrells. The film is top-quality in all other respects, too: the incidental music is spot on, the camerawork inventive and original, and - most importantly - Gangster No. 1 is a film that takes itself seriously. Not as high-budget or glamorous as Casino or Goodfellas (gangland London is no Las Vegas), but packs a powerful punch nevertheless.
Gangster No. 1 is a dark, brooding yet stylish film and shows that the Brits can make serious gangster movies when they put their minds to it. Non-Londoners might want to brush up on their Cockney slang, however, e.g. "You're having a laugh, arn't you?" = "You must be kidding", "Bird" = "Girlfriend", etc.
Rating:
Summary: ORIGINAL RECYCLING
Review: Gangster No1 offers nothing new in either ganster cinema or British cinema. What it does offer is an incredible performance from Paul Bettany, a skillful recycling of classic gangster pictures like 'Scarface' and 'Pulp Fiction', a few invigorating scenes of sardonic violence, very much in the tradition of 'Lock Stock...' and even 'Trainspotting', and a confident directorial grip, one that allowed Malcolm MacDowell once again attempt to return to his 'clockwork' form. Too bad the film doesn't belong to MacDowell, who appears as the aged protagonist briefly in the beginning and end of the film. Maybe it is for the better though, because at the end is when the film crumbles heavily under MacDowell's heavy rantings, while Paul Bettany, who plays the young gangster, is truly astonishing as a man hired by a mob boss and striving to gain his power. Sounds familiar? No doubt - that's good ol' 'Scarface', almost scene by scene, yet though Bettany pays homage with his lack of likeable qualities and ceaseless, demented determination to similar qualities that Pacino's Montana possessed, the young actor manages to twist it a little, distance it from the ferociousness of 'Scarface' by adding an element of poignancy to it. Consider the scene where he tortures someone, having turned up contrastively happy music. 'Reservoir Dogs', anyone? Yeah, but here we get the POV of the MAN being tortured - we're hooked.
While offering nothing new and trodding off into dull, repetitive and predictable territory at its 80-minute mark, 'Gangster No1' mostly manages to avoid cliches while still being cliched, and is definitely worth watching for Bettany's powerhouse acting.
The film is enthusiastic. The crew's love for the project is palpable. The director must have nurtured it for a while before he could watch his creation on the silver screen.
Rating: 
Summary: Dumbest Gangster Movie
Review: I rented this movie thinking it was going to be good but what I got was a horrible acting and dumb plot out of this movie. Most of the character dont even speak, its just a Voice Over dictating the whole movie and the main character keeps on saying the work Bird over and over. I almost feel asleep and wanted to turn this movie off right after the first 10 mins. Take my advice and dont watch this movie its pointless.
Rating:
Summary: Malcom McDowell... Shudder!
Review: I think this is a great movie, but it has one very major flaw, Malcom McDowell. I personally do not like his acting in this movie whatsoever, it destroys the movie... Especially the end sequence, I hated it.If this movie did not have Malcom McDowell in it, I would have given it 5 stars. Paul Bettany and David Thewlis are awesome.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutly great
Review: I think this movie is one of the best gangster movies i have seen in a long time. I can even go on and compare it with other classics like "Scarface" and "Reservoir dogs". The best thing about this movie is the acting which was very realistic. There are two two scences that i cant get out of my head. I wont mention the first one i will let be a surprise for you if you havent seen the movie. and the other one is an interrogatation scene where Gangster # 1 try to get information out of a thief, you would not believe how scared that thief was "he fainted out of terror". if you have not seen this movie, you are missing a lot. By the way i bought this movie together with "sexy Beast" which is another superb movie and i gotta say, the British are making a very good gangster movies lately.
Rating: 
Summary: this movie suked!!!!!!
Review: i thought this movie was gonna lik goodfellas or something better. But hell no this movie was boribg the only it was bout is bout hatin that's it.
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