Review of Gangster No. 1 (2000) by Bobby W — 13 Sep 2008

I really enjoyed this, but I can't recommend it to anyone as a good film. Hilariously (and I presume, inadvertently) homoerotic, the misplaced self-importance of this piece is immeasurable. McDowell is on autopilot as a pantomime mobster, and his performance is often too big for the screen, and really quite amusingly bad.

Paul Bettany's portrayal of the same character in his younger days is replete with suitable swagger and arrogance, but essentially one-dimensional: the scene in which he wishes his boss's fiancee well after an argument, all the while in the knowledge that the couple are to be assassinated, is played in such a naive way as to make you wonder if you're watching a comedy.

The less said about Jamie Foreman, the better - I have never seen someone so miscast in a film before. The film gives up in the final third, just doesn't bother, and tries to make up for it's lackadaisical ways by ending in a frustratingly ambiguous way, presumably in an attempt to convince the viewer that this weak, sorry affair is in some way "clever".

Fucking cobblers.