Gangster No. 1 (2000)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Paul McGuigan

Writer:

Johnny Ferguson (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 June 2000 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

There can only be ONE.

Plot:

Chronicles the rise and fall of a prominent, and particularly ruthless English gangster.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Rise And Fall | Prison | Cockney Gangster | Gang War

Awards:

1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Malcolm McDowell	...	Gangster 55
David Thewlis	...	Freddie Mays
Paul Bettany	...	Young Gangster
Saffron Burrows	...	Karen
Kenneth Cranham	...	Tommy (as Ken Cranham)
Jamie Foreman	...	Lennie Taylor
Eddie Marsan	...	Eddie Miller
Andrew Lincoln	...	Maxie King
Doug Allen	...	Mad John
Razaaq Adoti	...	Roland
Cavan Clerkin	...	Billy
David Kennedy	...	Fat Charlie
Johnny Harris	...	Derek
Anton Saunders	...	Trevor (as Anton Valensi)
Alex McSweeney	...	Bloke In Tailor's

Also Known As:

Gangster No. 1 (Australia)
Gangster Nr. 1 (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, and brief drug use and nudity.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK | Germany | Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (censored version) | Canada:R | Chile:18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R18 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Babelsberg Studios, Berlin, Germany

Company:

FilmFour

Trivia:

The two actors who play the "gangster" at the two points in his life are 7 inches different in height.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Freddie Mays is shown living in a groovy flat in the Lauderdale Tower of The Barbican in London in the late 60s; however the building was not completed until 1974.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[song "The Good Life" begins as scene opens at boxing match; crowd noises]
Gangster 55: [laughing] What? With Scotland Yard breathing down me neck? Fuck off. Do me a favor!
[laughter]

Movie Connections:

Featured in O Lucky Malcolm! (2006)

Soundtrack:

Who's Making Love

COCKNEY CAGNEYS

GANGSTER NO.1 (2002) *** Malcolm McDowell, Paul Bettany, David Thewlis, Saffron Burrows. Bloody good Brit flick about English thugs recalled in flashback by McDowell and portrayed by Bettany (both equally excellent in a teeth-gnashing kind of way) recollecting their bumpy ride to the top and rocky relationship with head kingpin Thewlis getting in the way. Graphically violent yet smartly directed by Paul McGuigan eschewing stylistic violence for violence sake and encapsulating the Mod 60s effectively.