Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brutal
- paranoid
- sardonic
- crime film marathon
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film compelling and stylistically forceful, praising its performances and direction while objecting to its relentless violence.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The older Gangster 55 narrates his rise from 1999, turning memory into a boastful account of brutality and triumph.
The younger gangster's fixation on Freddie Mays's supremacy and relationship with Karen drives his ascent and treachery.
The young hood initially apes his mod boss Freddie Mays before converting loyalty into a scheme for supremacy.
Critics specifically praised the film's superb style and its hysterical, anxiety-filled depiction of swinging London criminality.
Films like Gangster No. 1, and why
Snatch
shared british gangster milieu, kinetic style, criminal ambition, and darkly comic brutality
Layer Cake
shared rise-and-fall crime narrative, obsessive power struggle, and violent organized-crime world
The Long Good Friday
shared psychologically intense gangster protagonist, betrayal, ambition, and stylized violence
Scarface
shared crime epic atmosphere, ruthless power seeking, and morally corrosive ambition
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul McGuigan
- Release Date
- 2000-06-09
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (249)
Cast
- Paul Bettany
- Malcolm McDowell
- David Thewlis
- Jamie Foreman
- Saffron Burrows
- Kenneth Cranham
- Eddie Marsan
- Andrew Lincoln
- Doug Allen
- Razaaq Adoti
Common questions
- What is Gangster No. 1 about?
- A ruthless London hood turns envy of his charismatic mentor into a violent campaign for criminal supremacy.
- What is Gangster No. 1 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Gangster No. 1 as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Gangster No. 1 violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Gangster No. 1 as graphic.
- What did critics think of Gangster No. 1?
- Critics broadly found the film compelling and stylistically forceful, praising its performances and direction while objecting to its relentless violence.
- Which films are like Gangster No. 1?
- Films with a similar feel include Snatch, Layer Cake, The Long Good Friday, and Scarface.
- How long is Gangster No. 1?
- Gangster No. 1 runs 103 minutes.
