Gangster No. 1

Rating:
Summary: Needs to get out more
Review: If you can find this movie and you love the British gangster genre you are in for a treat. Worth seeking out. Better than Lock Stock or Snatch (sorry Madonna).

Rating:
Summary: Blurb Review: Gangster No. 1
Review: Malcom McDowell, when will you ever play a good guy? Charismatic, deboinairre, yet utterly evil in everything I've seen him in, the film follows the take-over of one gangster's empire by another (even more cut-throat) gangster played by Malcom McDowell. It was gory, it was bloody, it was all that and more. Was it any good? In a way, yes. If it had visually focused more on the admiration of the Don character than just two adoring scenes, the ending would have made more sense: All he wanted to do was make it to the top, but being number one, he had no 'superior' to grant him his approval. It almost works, and so I'm giving this bloody Brit gangster flick a solid B rating.

If you're put off by excessive blood and gore, avoid this one. If however you like gangster films, excellent evil acting (notably Paul Bettany) and a good character sketch, check out Gangster No. 1.

Rating:
Summary: Very average
Review: Okay, I love gangster movies. The Untouchables, from DePalma, Casino and Goodfellas, from Scorsese, The Godfather (the whole series) from Coppola...even Hoodlum, from Bill Duke...Gangster No.1 goes in that range of films, but it's not as good. I'm ashamed to say that, except for Clockwork Orange, I haden't seen a lot of movies featuring Malcolm MacDowell...but maybe it's normal considering the quality of his films today (Island of The Dead, for example). But the Mr.MacDowell I knew in one of my all-time favorites, Clockwork Orange, was splendid, full of talent. The MacDowell in Gangster No.1 was pretty good, but that's not enough...David Thewlis wasn't always good either, except at the end. This film mostly happens in 1968, but it passes through 31 years, up to 1999...what is sad about that is that we see what happens in detail during 1968, but we show brief sequences for the other years, and many are simply skipped. The problem here is that we follow a young gangster, full of ambition, with absolutely no heart feelings, that finally gets to his goal, but the film stops showing his evolution right after he starts it, and skips to his final situation. This could have been three hours long, but it's only 103 minutes. That's not enough for a gangster movie that has so much to say. The film contains some brutal violence, like any good gangster movie, but they put it in needless contexts, and it's mostly pretty gratuitous. The message is pretty clear in this film, and the character of Freddie Mays has an interesting mind twist that brings it to an ending that is intense, true, but that could have been even better. The film had more potential. The film tells a story, but rushes some parts too evidently, and that ruins it. It's not a bad movie, but it's not great either.

Rating:
Summary: Number 1 Gangster Flick
Review: Superb, violent, bizarre British gangster flick. Makes Reservoir Dogs seem tame by comparison. Definitely unsentimental, tPC and pk tell it was a lot better than the highly touted Road To Perdition. One is definitely left wondering what made the unnamed gangster tick, although the message would seem to be simple, career, no matter how glamorous or rewarding is not
enough, and excessive ambition destroys the soul. Beirnuts take note, this buds for you.

Rating:
Summary: Not your typical Gangster Movie
Review: The first hour of the movie starts out as your typical ganster movie. It is entertaining and you have the familiar set-up of introducing a bunch of really tough guys and showing you examples of how tough they are. This part was not very original, however, if you like Gangster movies you should enjoy it. It started getting interesting when the main character turned out to be really quite a bit more evil than previously imagined. He cut up and tortured a man and didn't finish him off until he really suffered. This scene was quite graphic and if you didn't cringe something is wrong with you. The rest of the movie distinguished itself from other ganster movies in that the main character was crazy and felt incomplete despite rising to the top of the mob world. People who generally like ganster movies may prefer the first half of this movie while people who prefer Clockwork Orange, Natural Born Killers and other movies will prefer the second half.

Rating:
Summary: A british crime drama, with a kick!
Review: The first time I heard of "Gangster No. 1" was in the Globe And Mail. The one thing that intrigued me to find it upon it's DVD release, was the front quote.

"It's not who you know. It's who you kill."

Thus, my trip to Future Shop was to be a grand day on taking chances on films! Let me tell you, THIS MOVIE IS SUPERB. It does for gangster films in the same way Akira Kurosawa does for humanistic films, with a kick of style! For the first time, you don't get constant gore & language, unlike Scorsese's mafia flicks.

The year: 1968.

It brings forth a man known by the name of Gangster, who is extremely arrogant in his own way, to have a meeting with "The Butcher Of Mayfair," Freddie Mays. Mays has just won a case against the city, in a matter of him killing a cop. An extremely well known man with the mafia who has just reached the top for whacking this crooked copper. But Mays is still having problems it seems. The problem? Lennie Taylor, another rival gang boss who plans to take out Freddie and capture his territory. But when Gangster hears of this (being as arrogant as he is), he pulls together a plan to take both of them out, leaving the rest for himself at the top. With an ending that'll make you watch the movie over and over again, "Gangster No. 1" is quite effectively THE crime drama of 2001, no doubt about it!

Rating:
Summary: Not what you may think,.....
Review: The other reviewer on this page who called this film a "character study" nailed it. The two lead gangsters Freddy Mays and (soon to be) gangster#1 could just as easily have been corporate execs., or two proball players, or....get the idea. This is a story about one mans driving, overwelming ambition to be #1, and what in the end is he left with when confronted with the man who was #1 but had it all stolen. More or less in a nut shell.
This is why any comparison to Goodfellas,et al is silly. The gangster life is window dressing, making the film more entertaining, yes ( if you like violence thats mostly implied, but implied well) but essential to the main theme. Gangsters are used here the same way Ann Rice uses vampires, to comment about the human condition.
Paul McGuigan directs well, using intresting camara techniques, and great lighting to show the lead characters descent into ambitious maddness. He uses music to its full effectiveness ( Reservoir Dogs ) with a rather happy "Because I Love You" adding to the evil menace of a murder scene which is the set piece of the film.
Needless ( I believe )to say the acting is primo.
This DVD edition has an informative featurette, and intresting if a little dry director commentary. I highly recommend for those who like serious character study ( but dont whine about the violence and language), as well as those who enjoy a fun little gangster flick. Its enough of both.

Rating:
Summary: Not what you may think,.....
Review: The other reviewer on this page who called this film a "character study" nailed it. The two lead gangsters Freddy Mays and (soon to be) gangster#1 could just as easily have been corporate execs., or two proball players, or....get the idea. This is a story about one mans driving, overwelming ambition to be #1, and what in the end is he left with when confronted with the man who was #1 but had it all stolen. More or less in a nut shell.
This is why any comparison to Goodfellas,et al is silly. The gangster life is window dressing, making the film more entertaining, yes ( if you like violence thats mostly implied, but implied well) but essential to the main theme. Gangsters are used here the same way Ann Rice uses vampires, to comment about the human condition.
Paul McGuigan directs well, using intresting camara techniques, and great lighting to show the lead characters descent into ambitious maddness. He uses music to its full effectiveness ( Reservoir Dogs ) with a rather happy "Because I Love You" adding to the evil menace of a murder scene which is the set piece of the film.
Needless ( I believe )to say the acting is primo.
This DVD edition has an informative featurette, and intresting if a little dry director commentary. I highly recommend for those who like serious character study ( but dont whine about the violence and language), as well as those who enjoy a fun little gangster flick. Its enough of both.

Rating:
Summary: Grotesque, mindless violence
Review: This film deserves to have as little said about it as possible. It is endlessly and offensively brutal, bathed in mindless bloodshed. Unlike the excellent movie, "The Long Good Friday," this tells us nothing about the protagonists, aside from the fact that they are depraved. We should be able to figure that out without help. Claiming to like this film because it offers insights is like claiming that a John Holmes film is essential to understanding the biology of reproduction. It is a lie that justifies a prurient interest in violence.

Rating:
Summary: The evil that men do
Review: This film--another entry in the British gangster genre--introduces us to a top gangster (played by Malcolm McDowell). He's wearing an expensive tuxedo, sipping champagne, and smoking one fat cigar after another while we hear Tony Bennett singing "The Good Life" in the background.

The gangster receives the bad news that his old boss, Frankie Mays is about to be released from a long stint in prison. This news causes the gangster to reminisce about the beginnings of his association with Mays back in 1968.

Indeed, most of the film is the story of the gangster's rather mis-spent youth serving as May's henchman. The gangster as a young man is played by Paul Bettany--but with some narration by McDowell. The young gangster rises through the ranks of Freddie's organization by the use of his explosive violence, cunning, and ruthless ambition.

This film is one of the better British gangster films out there. This is due partly to the marvellous character study of the pyschopathic young gangster who turns out to be the deadliest thug in the bunch. The young gangster and his boss, Freddie, have a strange relationship. Freddie underestimates the young gangster and fails to see that he is different--more intelligent--than the rest of the crew. The young gangster has very powerful feelings about Freddie. He idolizes him, envies him, hates him, but all that is stirred in with suppressed homosexuality. The young gangster wants to be Freddie and wants to have all that Freddie has. There is one exception to all of this--and that is Freddie's girlfriend. The young gangster hates her violently. Indeed, it is the introduction of the love interest that pushes the troubled relationship between Freddie and the young gangster to breaking point.

This film was flawed by one thing--the ending!! After such a brilliant build-up, I somehow expected more. The ending was a disappointment. The film was quite violent. However, dare I say this....it was tastefully done.

Great to see Malcolm McDowell back in a role worthy of his talents. And watch out for Paul Bettany--he was incredible in this film.