Who do you think you are, the Lone Ranger? (Gangster No.1 (DVD))

Name: maz

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Product:	Gangster No.1 (DVD)
Date:	12/07/00 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: sharp styles and not much mockney crap

Disadvantages: truly grim

Imagine 'Performance' without the psychedelia. The James Fox character if he'd never gone on the lam and ended up eating mushrooms with Mick Jagger and Anita Pallenberg. The look and style of 'Gangster Number One' is so clearly based on the first half of 'Performance' that I was surprised to see nothing in the credits about it. Paul Bettany is the spitting image of James Fox and there are some scenes which match shot for shot those in 'Performance'. Take the two brutal torture scenes, for instance - they recall perfectly the 'Performance' flashback to James Fox's gangster downfall as he kills an acquaintance. The homosexual subtext is there - the snappy dressing and killer stares - and perhaps most importantly the supremely dedicated performances. For all the crowing over Malcolm McDowell's 'finest performance ever', his role's not much more than a cameo. In fact the scenes set in the present day (well, the end of last century anyway) appear laughable and perversely less realistic than the bulk of the film, which takes place during the sixties. Bettany's performance - I have no idea of his acting history - is magnificently assured, and on the strength of this he's one to watch.

It's a shame that the film came out when the British filmgoing public had had more than their fill of London gangster movies. TV series like 'Lock, Stock' have been flogging this particular horse for too long now, and by the time Guy Ritchie's 'Lock, Stock' follow-up comes out London crime will be entirely unfashionable. Which is a shame, as I like the idea of watching British crime films rather than endless anodyne American efforts - but the mockney pap has clearly pushed out the quality efforts.

And finally - be warned. This film is not for the squeamish. I have a long history of watching fairly challenging fare, but the torture scenes here are truly grim by anyone's standar
ds. It's partly the inventive way in which the scenes have been done, and partly their gruelling length. Maybe they're meant to take the glamour away from the lead character's situation, but this is already amply done by portraying his emotional frigidity and total inability to relate to other human beings as anything other than to be exploited. As it is they left me a bit cold - no catharsis through violence here! Nasty stuff. But go and see it.

Summary: