Gangster no. 1

Told mainly in flashback, “Gangster No.1” chronicles the bloody rise and unceremonious fall of the oddly named Gangster 55 (Malcolm McDowell/Paul Bettany). Director Paul McGuigan’s violent fable follows the young Gangster’s initiation into London’s glamourous crime scene of the sixties, after he is hand picked by the suave and sinister crime boss Freddie Mays (David Thewlis). Gangster’s violent disposition quickly escalates him to the inner circle of Freddie’s crime syndicate, while the impressionable Gangster begins to develop a strong infatuation for Freddie and his opulent lifestyle. The obsession takes a dangerous turn however when Freddie meets night club singer Karen (Saffron Burrows), leaving the jealous Gangster fuming and thirsty for revenge. McGuigan’s flashy visual style fetishizes this motley crew of gangsters, at times filming them in slow motion, bathing them in lush colours and filtering their violence through fractured lenses. Cast includes Kenneth Cranham, Jamie Foreman and Eddie Marsan.