Ah Gangster No.1, the memories, where did the time go, saw this underrated gem at the pictures back when it came out as a young 16 year old with friends I've long since lost touch with, great times, anyway enough of the nostalgia trip, what was the film itself like? After a recent rewatch and trip down memory lane, it was just as good as I'd remembered, if not better.

Set mainly in London's swinging Sixties, alternating occasionally in the present day (2000),the story focuses on the unnamed gangster (brilliantly played by Paul Bettany, and Malcolm McDowell as the older gangster) and his rise through the criminal underworld, gangster, through the charismatic Freddie Mays, is taken into the firm and soon becomes Freddie's right hand man. Gangster immediately takes a shine to Mays and the obsession grows deeper and deeper, and is intensified when Mays grows close to the attractive Karen (Saffron Burrows) this further brings out Gangsters darkest side.

As things heat up, Gangster sees an opportunity to take over the firm as well as settle scores with Freddies rival, Gangster Lennie Taylor (played brilliantly by Jamie Foreman),the psychosis of Gangster becomes worse, and it's clear their isn't much he won't do to achieve his goal.

This was a good film, and does not get the recognition it deserves, Paul Bettany in particular does a fantastic job as the embittered psychotic Gangster, who as well as violent is also extremely creepy (see the silent scream scene, I still remember me and my mates reaction to that at the cinema),and performances from Malcolm McDowell, Jamie Foreman, David Thewlis and others are all to be applauded, and the director Paul Mcguigan done a fine job, maybe because of the time it came out, the same year as other gangster films such as Snatch, it got overlooked but if you want to see good performances and a good storyline, give this a watch, it's well worth it. 8/10

Thirty years after entering the cultural conscience with the his groundbreaking performance as Alex deLarge in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, Malcolm McDowell returns to the screen in this unabashedly violent and emotionally detached film about envy amongst gangsters and the need to be the "gangster no. 1". On learning that his old mentor, Freddie Mays (David Thewlis),has been released from jail, The Gangster (McDowell),now a kingpin among fellow gangsters, moves back to the late sixties when he was a young nameless man (Paul Bettany) just hanging around in the swinging sixties. He infiltrates himself into Mays' circle of gangsters, wins his trust, becomes a ferocious gangster... but there is something wrong with him from the get-go, something Mays is unable to see. The younger gangster has a serious personality imbalance that renders him covetous of everything surrounding Mays. Like Iago, he wants not only to be like Mays, but appropriate himself with Mays' life and this includes his then-girlfriend Karen (Saffron Burrows). Things reach a head when he hits on Karen who rejects him. The young gangster goes on a rampage, pitting Mays with a rival gang member, then brutally murdering Mays' rival and framing him for the murder which sends Mays to jail. He then emerges as the main gangster and lets loose on his up to then pent-up violence... that is, until the story reaches full circle and all three main characters are reunited. The Gangster realizes that Karen and Mays still love each other and his incomprehensible envy towards them has not caused a dent in their affections, and when Mays emerges as the more human person, McDowell sinks in his own self-hatred. An interesting film that takes its time to reach its audience, GANGSTER NO. 1 is a study not in violence but in self-loathing and what happens when the main character is a black hole. Both Bettany and McDowell, in remaining nameless, magnify this man's emptiness -- he, despite his position, is a nobody and has no future. Mays and Karen, on the other hand, having been swallowed alive by London's underbelly, become survivors who are above and beyond The Gangster's murderous rage. The director, Paul McGuigan, has a sharp eye for a stylized telling of such a violent story with flashy editing and some brutal points of view in depicting a murder sequence that resembles a rape and describes just how insane this gangster is. Not for the squeamish at times but a great film to view and enjoy.

In the recent glut of British gangster films spurred on by the success of LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS, GANGSTER NO. 1 stands out head and shoulders above the rest by being a serious, frequently disturbing little movie which offers up oodles of tension and some top-notch acting. Throwing aside the slick, stylish silliness of other offerings, this is a very dark-souled film which acts more like a character study than a conventional crime flick. Obvious comparisons are to be made with everything from GET CARTER to SCARFACE, and although the influences are there, this film has enough originality to stand up on its own as a minor classic.

The lead role is played by two actors (playing both younger and older versions of the same character). Paul Bettany is superb as the young twisted gangster, giving an understated performance of brooding tension and anger which erupts in a disturbing murder scene in which the camera mimics a man repeatedly fading in and out of consciousness. Bettany has some fine dialogue "look into my eyes" and is one of the scariest screen sadists I've ever seen; not sure why he wasn't more acclaimed for his portrayal but it's smashing stuff. The inimitable Malcolm McDowell plays his older self with his usual trademark fiery/frightening intense stuff and is also ace. The supporting cast are all fine, from David Thewlis as the laid back leader to Saffron Burrows as the love interest and Kenneth Cranham as a bodyguard.

For a change the violence is used for a reason rather than just being excessive (although there's nothing wrong with that in my book); a simmering undercurrent of unsaid menace is what makes the film riveting to watch. Take for example the scene where Bettany extracts information from a man in his kitchen; at any minute you expect him to grab his axe and chop the guy's arm off; at the same time you are glued to the screen but want to look away because it's so intense. The ending also twists things around, showing the lie that McDowell's life has been, and is smashing. With its non-stop swearing and brutal violence, Gangster No. 1 is not going to be a film to everyone's taste, but if you can get over those boundaries then I'm sure you'll realise what an intelligent, complex little film this is.