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Gangster No. 1

Play trailer Poster for Gangster No. 1 R 2002 1h 43m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
71% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
The time is now. The scene is a ringside table at a boxing match, held at a deluxe London hotel. At the head of the table sits Gangster (Malcolm McDowell), the undisputed king of London's gangland. Life couldn't be sweeter, until Gangster learns that Freddie Mays is being released from prison. Freddie Mays, his old boss and mentor, is coming out after doing 30 years for murder. Hearing Freddie Mays' name, even after all these years, stirs up a frightening well of emotions in Gangster...
Gangster No. 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Gangster No. 1 is brutally violent, yet also compelling.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Kermode Sight & Sound 12/02/2002
It's a handsomely ugly affair, well dressed enough to make a few friends, but tough enough to make just as many enemies. Go to Full Review
Chris Vognar Dallas Morning News 09/12/2002
B
Director Paul McGuigan and cast infuse the proceedings with a strong dose of psychotic gusto and visual flare. Go to Full Review
Edward Guthmann San Francisco Chronicle 07/26/2002
2/4
Doesn't offer much besides glib soullessness, raunchy language and a series of brutal set pieces ... that raise the bar on stylized screen violence. Go to Full Review
Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed 04/29/2009
Despite some really good performances especially from Bettany, this is a pretty terrible movie... Go to Full Review
Film Threat 12/06/2005
3.5/5
Sarah Chauncey Reel.com 06/04/2004
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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Snapper M Apr 12 Has all the hallmarks of being written, directed and filmed by year 7 at your local high school. Absolute piffle. See more Ari V Mar 15 Pretty good. The character development, especially that last phase, doesn't fully track, but lot's of great work to make up for this. 3.75/5 See more Wozza B Mar 6 This film started off well with some great performances but when it skips 30 years forward it rapidly goes down hill. It doesn't make sense that Bettanys character is later played McDowell whilst all the other characters are played by the same actors. The main character is now a completely different person not only physically but his whole demeanor. Like the link to horse racing within the movie it, 'Started strong but run out of steam in the final furlong!' See more Ant O Mar 5 In the end the casting got in the way. Paul Bettany is miscast as a cockernee and McDowell playing Bettany’s older self, plays it without any charm or charisma. Thewlis is top draw but like the film itself he ends up a sniveling shadow of what he was and the film ends up without anything to redeem it. The beautiful flat in, Barbican? Steals the show See more Jake K Feb 28 Half decent acting but terrible plot with an anticlimactic ending. If you want a decent British gangster film there are plenty of much better options out there. See more Chris H Feb 27 Violent, as you might expect, although we are spared the worst moments. The story though? I can't make up my mind. The narrative is quite familiar, but some some common stereotypes are avoided (eg the main character doesn't get, or even try to get, the girl) and this is welcome. Malcolm McDowell and Paul Bettany are both excellent as the most unpleasant man you could imagine, but his lack of class does wear you down after a while; you just want someone to polish him off. He does, though, have some inner torment that emerges at the end. See more Read all reviews
Gangster No. 1

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Movie Info

Synopsis The time is now. The scene is a ringside table at a boxing match, held at a deluxe London hotel. At the head of the table sits Gangster (Malcolm McDowell), the undisputed king of London's gangland. Life couldn't be sweeter, until Gangster learns that Freddie Mays is being released from prison. Freddie Mays, his old boss and mentor, is coming out after doing 30 years for murder. Hearing Freddie Mays' name, even after all these years, stirs up a frightening well of emotions in Gangster...
Director
Paul McGuigan
Producer
Jonathan Cavendish, Norma Heyman
Screenwriter
Johnny Ferguson
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Pagoda Film, NFH Productions
Rating
R (Pervasive Language|Nudity|Brief Drug Use|Strong Brutal Violence)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 14, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$30.9K
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)