Gangster No. 1 (2000)

Chronicles the rise and fall of a prominent, and particularly ruthless English gangster.

Director:

Paul McGuigan

Writers:

Johnny Ferguson (screenplay), Louis Mellis (original screenplay),

Stars:

Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis, Paul Bettany

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Malcolm McDowell	...	Gangster 55
David Thewlis	...	Freddie Mays
Paul Bettany	...	Young Gangster
Saffron Burrows	...	Karen
Kenneth Cranham	...	Tommy (as Ken Cranham)
Jamie Foreman	...	Lennie Taylor
Eddie Marsan	...	Eddie Miller
Andrew Lincoln	...	Maxie King
Doug Allen	...	Mad John
Razaaq Adoti	...	Roland
Cavan Clerkin	...	Billy
David Kennedy	...	Fat Charlie
Johnny Harris	...	Derek
Anton Saunders	...	Trevor (as Anton Valensi)
Alex McSweeney	...	Bloke In Tailor's

Storyline

A middle-aged crime boss smugly reflects back from 1999, narrating the brutality which made him triumphant - and feared. As an unnamed young hood in Swinging 60's London, he aped his mod boss Freddie Mays, and seemed to do anything for him. But his narration exposes all-consuming envy: of Freddie's supremacy, and especially his tall bird. The baby shark develops his viciousness and backstabbing, scheming to be Gangster No. 1.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | gang | rise and fall | marriage engagement | flashback | 

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Taglines:

The King is dead, Long live the King

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, and brief drug use and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

FilmFour MGM

Country:

UK Germany Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 2000 (UK)

Also Known As:

Gangster Nr. 1

Filming Locations:

Babelsberg Studios, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,514 (USA) (14 June 2002)

Gross:

$30,915 (USA) (19 July 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmFour, Pagoda Film, Road Movies Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the opening bathroom scene, it is actually director Paul McGuigan at the urinal, according to the director's commentary.

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Goofs

In various shots you can see brand new street lamps. These would not have been around in 1968.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[song "The Good Life" begins as scene opens at boxing match; crowd noises]
Gangster 55: [laughing] What? With Scotland Yard breathing down me neck? Fuck off. Do me a favor!
[laughter]

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Connections

Referenced in Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Utopia"
Written by Lo
Licences courtesy of Songton/John Fiddy Music

User Reviews

My brief review of the film

The story might be rather ordinary and it may become less interesting after the first hour or so, but this is generally intriguing stuff. The film is effectively narrated and performed by Malcolm McDowell, but Paul Bettany is the one who really shines here, replicating McDowell's charisma as an uncaring and violent youth, whilst also injecting some of his own spirit into his character. The film is rather clever in fact with how it uses McDowell and what he has come to stand for, with a number of interesting echoes of A Clockwork Orange throughout the film. The biggest problem that I found in the whole production was that the flashbacks to the 1960s looked just like the present with no feel for the era. But really, other than that and a story that is not out of the ordinary, this is a well made film with an interesting visual and audio style, and quality acting to top it all off.