It's the big bad wolf (Gangster No.1 (DVD))

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Gangster No.1 (DVD)
Date:	01/10/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some good storylines, good acting

Disadvantages: Skips through the decades at the end

Gangster No.1 was originally released in 2000 which proved to be a strong year for British mob movies with Snatch and Sexy Beast both coming through well. Gangster No.1 has a more callous outlook and lacks some of the cheeky wide boyness you are likely to find in the other two.

Somehow, I hadn't heard of this film until recently and if you are in the same boat, then I definitely recommended digging it out because it's a pretty good film. The storyline is relatively straight-forward, a young gangster desires to take over the gang and live the life his boss lives and the storylines basically revolve around this key factor. The film spans 3 decades.

The film is narrated by the older version of the gangster in 1999 (Malcom McDowell) for the most part although there does seem to be a bit of first person perspective from the younger version (Paul Bettany) in the goriest of scenes. I'd say that Bettany's acting as strong and he portrays the character as an utter psycho very well, there's quite a strong focus on the storylines in the early days but the film does seem to skip through the decades exceptionally fast and the way in which the original members of the gang leave, do seem a bit eccentric.

There's a lot of swearing and some very violent scenes but I found the film relatively compelling and there are some quotes which definitely stay in the mind. A bit of totty in the form of Karen (Saffron Burrows) - The Bank Job is also thrown in.

Summary: Well worth a watch