Review of Gangster No. 1 (2000) by Graham P — 21 Jun 2010

Interesting and stylish tale of the the rise and (literal) fall of an unnamed, coldly psychotic criminal (Malcolm McDowell), mostly told in the form of flashbacks to his youthful past in the late 1960s (his younger self is played by Paul Bettany) where he was in the employ of charismatic gang boss Freddie Mays (David Thewlis). Gangster No. 1 is a study of a character who is almost completely devoid of human empathy and who is driven to seek material wealth and power as he believes them to be the only validating factors in his existence.

Wanting to emulate the perceived success of his idol Freddie Mays, the anonymous gangster ruthlessly pursues his own goals and ends up commiting brutal murder and betrayal in order to achieve his ends. Elevated to gang leader himself, he rules through fear rather than respect and is successful simply because he is divorced completely from humanity. Ultimately though, he gains no satisfaction or happiness from this feat, since his particular personality can find no joy or humour in anything.

Strong performances by Bettany, Thewlis and McDowell and some well shot (and sometimes shocking) sequences give this film a strong impression on the viewer. In many ways it's an antidote to movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas as it portrays the gangster lifestyle as nothing for a sane individual to aspire to, and a life of crime and violence to be ultimately unfullfilling and worthless.