Gangster No. 1

2000

1h 43m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

228

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An old gangster is advised that Freddie Mays would leave jail after thirty years in prison. His mood changes and he recalls when he was a young punk and who joined Freddie's gang—a man he both envied and ultimately betrayed.

Directors

Paul McGuigan

Writers

Johnny Ferguson(screenplay by)

Louis Mellis(original story by)

David Scinto(original story by)

Stars

Paul Bettany

Malcolm McDowell

David Thewlis

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Photos17

Top cast

Younger Gangster

Gangster 55

Freddie Mays

Lenny Taylor

Karen

Tommy

Eddie Miller

Maxie King

Mad John

Roland

Derek

Billy

Trevor

Jack the Lad

Attacker's Friend

Fat Charlie

Julie

Directors

Writers

Johnny Ferguson(screenplay by)

Louis Mellis(original story by)

David Scinto(original story by)

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Review

Featured review

9/10

**It's not a movie for everyone, it's extremely violent and tense, but it works very well.** It's not easy to make a good gangster movie. Sometimes it feels like they've done everything that could possibly be appealing or challenging, and that each new production is limited to chewing on and revisiting what's already been done by others, usually better. This film, set in London, brings us into a universe of violence and tension, of envy and madness, which is refreshingly dark and appealing, yet not really new. The screenplay follows the criminal path of a British mobster whose name is never revealed and who, due to his brutality and competence, becomes one of the trusted men of Freddy Mays, one of the crime lords in London in the late 60s. However, he is ambitious, and his desire is, in the future, to be like his boss is: brutal, ruthless, but elegant and sober. It's a film where we follow the same character through thirty years of ultraviolence (I'm not using this word randomly, as you'll see) and sheer madness. The cast has several strong names, and the main character is played by two actors: in the older chronologies, it is Paul Bettany, and today, it is the experienced and skilled Malcolm McDowell, who has participated in other intense films, such as _Clockwork Orange_. In fact, I can't help but think that Alex, the main character of that movie, iconic in this actor's career, could have evolved into a twisted and crazed figure like the one McDowell played here. The impeccable work, both his and Bettany's, is one of the pillars that sustains this film and that makes it truly intense and enjoyable. Both have memorable lines and dialogue. Another truly outstanding actor is David Thewlis, who harmoniously combines harshness and brutality with the sensitivity and almost aristocratic good manners with which he moves among other criminals. Saffron Burrows is beautiful, and works great as a love interest. The rest of the cast just tries to keep up with the main actors. On a technical level, the film does a truly brilliant job of building and controlling the environment... the film knows how to build and manipulate the dramatic tension, letting it build up as time goes by, until a climax where we feel the lack of control and the loss of the notion of reality experienced by the central character. The slightly blurry cinematography, with many of the scenes shot at night or in low-light places (bars, rundown apartments, etc.), or the personality of the character, which shatters) or that scene where the camera puts itself in the skin of a man about to be brutally murdered, and we end up being invited to feel that moment, the fragility and mental weakness that takes over. of a man facing death, certain and painful. The movie's speech is full of profanity and rude words, but that's something inevitable, given the movie that it is. However, I recognize that it is not a film for any audience, it is extremely violent and brutal. Finally, a word for the soundtrack, impeccable and very well conceived.

FilipeManuelNeto29 Aug, 2022