Gangster No. 1 (2000)
Written by Johnny Ferguson / Directed by Paul McGuigan
Starring Malcolm McDowell, Paul Bettany, David Thewlis and Saffron Burrows
105 mins / IFC Films / Rated R
Retail: $14.98 / Street: $13
by Alex Mestas 8/20/2003
More info: Amazon
DVD Cover
The Cover
In Gangster No. 1, Malcolm McDowell returns to his roots, paying homage to his role in A Clockwork Orange - a violent man with no conscious and a deep seeded narcissism. He's more concerned about his appearance than the people that surround him. In fact, he's as heartless as American Psycho's Patrick Bateman - a man who doesn't care if he kills, but only what it will ultimately afford him.

The plot isn't so important. McDowell plays a character only known as "Gangster" - a thug trying to climb his way to the top of the Mob ladder. Needless to say, he does whatever it takes. Freddie Mays (David Thewlis) is the top dog, well dressed and relatively respected. As "Gangster" starts his rise into the heights of thugdom, all is as expected. But soon things get ugly. I'm talking ugly in that American Psycho way. Ugly in that Audition way. Ugly in that, well, that Clockwork Orange kind of way.

Gangster No. 1 is told in a split time, split frame sort of way, with two versions of "Gangster" telling his story - the old wizened man giving voice over to his younger years and the young gangster growling and committing cruel acts of violence.

The movie is certainly a cousin to these movies. It presents a raw, cinema verité look at a genre we know well, the gangster flick. But it does so in a way that keeps it fresh and interesting. This is pure cinema and director McGuigan doesn't leave any cinematic stone unturned. If you love indies and all the genre allows, this will be one for your shelf.

Movie Grade: B

Video: 3 out of 5
The flick looks like it was shot on 35mm and then tooled around with quite a bit. There's tons of desaturation to give the 60's and 70's that appropriate look, plus a lot of weird opticals that confuse matters as well. It's a little hard to judge.
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.78:1


Thewlis and McDowell

Audio: 3 out of 5
It's appropriate that there's lots of weird sounds for such a weird movie. The surrounds are pretty active and the bass gets enough workout for all the weird crap that's going on.
English (Dolby 5.1)

Extras: 3 out of 5
The main catch is the commentary with the foul-mouthed McGuigan. At least he's interesting to listen to. Then again, Scottish blokes who speak much too fast usually are. The other item of note is a short featurette. There's a few interesting moments, but it's mostly the same crap you've seen before.

Overall: 4 out of 5
It's weird, it's violent and wonderfully directed and acted. If you're a fan of films like Scarface and Goodfellas, you might want to give this one a spin to see another take on the genre.

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