Movies - Gangster No. 1

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	Movies - Gangster No. 1

Gangster No. 1 is a British gangster movie released in 2000. It stars Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis and Paul Bettany and was directed by Paul McGuigan.

The film chronicles the life of a gangster (he is never named, and in this article is referred to as just "Gangster 55", his given name in the credits - the significance of "55" is not made clear) from his beginnings as a vicious thug in the 1960s to his rise to power by the end of the 1990s.

It explores Gangster 55's warped, ambiguous and often homoerotic relationship with his mentor, Freddie Mays (Thewlis).

The film was not very well received by critics. The film is roughly split into two parts; the 1960s and the 1990s and many critics thought that it was confusing given that, although the main character was portrayed by different actors in the different time-periods, the other main characters were not, with just a bit of make-up to make them look older in the second-half.

Gangster No. 1 also followed a recent flood of British Gangster movies, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and given the praise issued to the two aforementioned movies, further gangster films had a lot to live up to.

The film was nonetheless praised for the performances of its actors, although a lot of the attention it received was due to its violent content, in particular a scene whereby the viewer is shown the point-of-view of a victim of an incredibly brutal murder.

Plot outline

The film opens with Gangster 55 in his middle-age, portrayed by Malcolm McDowell, surrounded by his friends attending a boxing match. At one point Gangster 55 goes the restroom and urinates with his glass of champagne sitting on the floor near the urinal, some of his urine splashing into the glass. He is then about to take a drink from the urine-sprinkled champagne when he changes his mind, looks into the camera, and angrily demands of the viewer "What do you take me for, a cunt?" (see meta-reference)

Then film then flashes back to the 1960s when Gangster 55 was in his twenties (played by Paul Bettany). He comes to the attention of a very influential London gangster, Freddie Mays, who recruits him to be an enforcer for his gang. Gangster 55 is eager to please, and proves his loyalty to Mays by enthusiastically dropping a car onto a mechanic's head after he attempts to stab Mays.

Gangster 55 is soon obsessed by Mays's glamorous lifestyle, ogling his expensive suits, his watch, and in particular his tie-pin. Although Gangster 55's sexuality is not explicitly made clear, it is implied that he is either homosexual or bisexual; he often gazes at Mays in a dreamy fashion and he has no interest in women: his only interaction with a member of the opposite sex is with Karen, Mays's girlfriend, of whom he is jealous and passionately hates. The feeling is mutual.

Gangster 55 soon finds out that Mays's main rival, Lenny (Jamie Foreman), is planning on killing Mays. However, instead of warning his boss, Gangster 55 lets the attack take place, apparently in the hope of taking over Mays's position as leader of the gang.

That same night, Gangster 55 brutally murders Lenny in what some consider to be one of the most savagely violent torture/murder scenes in film history. Gangster 55 shoots Lenny in the leg then calmly turns up the Hi-Fi to drown the resulting screams, and then, having softened the victim up by smashing a wine glass in his face, proceeds to strip to his underwear (presumably to avoid staining his suit in blood) before slaughtering Lenny. He hacks into the shrieking man's leg with an axe, stabs him in the neck with an ice pick, punches him, calls him a cunt repeatedly, punches him some more, spits at him, stabs him some more, smashes a glass fruit bowl over his face and, although there is little life in him left, eventually rams Lenny's head through a pane of glass. Gangster 55 then has a cigarette whilst muttering abuse at Lenny's corpse before he takes a shower. Most of the scene is shown from Lenny's point-of-view; we see Gangster 55 standing over us, inflicting the horrific injuries and screaming abuse, the images and sounds fading in and out, growing more and more dim as the unfortunate recipient of this brutality slowly dies.

To the surprise of Gangster 55, Freddie Mays and Karen were not killed in the attack Lenny organised earlier that evening. However, Mays is unjustly convicted of the murder of Lenny and given a thirty-year prison sentence.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Gangster No. 1 ]

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