I am incredulous how no one has noted the communistic propaganda in this piece. Most notably it's right there in plain sight. The cell number. R17. Revolution 1917; Russian revolution 1917. The director was a noted Jewish communist and was blacklisted because of it. I don't want to dwell too much on that as this is an ideology I despise. However the movie has a kinetic energy that modern movies find hard to surpass. Superb performances and great editing. This could just as well be an allegory for the bravery of any action against a brutal totalitarian movement.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Gangster No. 1
(2000)
Horrendous
5 October 2003
The even limited accolades this movie has received amazes me. What is almost a straight conversion from theatre to screen Gangster no.1 represents all that is bad about British movies. Lazy script, non existant characterisation, unnatural perfomances, horrific pacing. The small budget is not an excuse either for some woefully inadequate set pieces. Not only is the dialogue too theatrical, the locations appear altogether flimsey and contrived, the studio backdrops having about as much integrity as paper mache. Of course this is perfectly symbolic for the entire production. The plot for what it's worth is similar to that of Once upon a time in America but without any of the above. The laughable montage of Gangster's transition through the decades made me fume. Saffron Burrows what can I say, her acting abilities are non existant. I made the mistake of buying this dvd together with Narc and Get Carter (1971) last week. Next to those masterpieces this is a dismal effort. Poor.
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