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Gangster No. 1 is a British gangster movie released in 2000. It stars Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis and Paul Bettany and was directed by Paul McGuigan. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1017x1230, 168 KB) This image is of a videotape cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the videotape or the studio which produced the videotape in question. ...
Paul McGuigan (born 1963-09-19 in Bellshill, Scotland) is a Scottish filmmaker. ...
Malcolm McDowell (born June 13, 1943) is an English actor. ...
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David Thewlis in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. ...
Adrian Biddle, (July 20, 1952 – December 7, 2005), was an English cinematographer. ...
FilmFour (to be known as Film4 from 23 July 2006) is a British digital television channel, owned and operated by Channel 4, which screens Channel 4-like films (mainly non-blockbuster, generally popular independent and arthouse fare). ...
June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ...
This article is about the year 2000. ...
Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ...
This article is about the year 2000. ...
Malcolm McDowell (born June 13, 1943) is an English actor. ...
David Thewlis in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Paul McGuigan (born 1963-09-19 in Bellshill, Scotland) is a Scottish filmmaker. ...
The film chronicles the life of an unnamed gangster from his beginnings as a vicious thug in the 1960s to his rise to power by the end of the 1990s. It explores the Gangster's warped and ambiguous relationship with his mentor and idol, Freddie Mays (Thewlis). The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...
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The film was not very well received by critics. The film is roughly split into two parts; the 1960s and the 1990s and many critics thought that it was confusing given that, although the main character was portrayed by different actors in the different time-periods, the other main characters were not, with just a bit of make-up to make them look older in the second-half. The difference in height between the two main actors was singled out for criticism - Bettany is 6'3" while McDowell is 5'8", yet they were playing the same character at different ages.
Gangster No. 1 also followed a recent flood of British Gangster movies, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and given the praise issued to the two aforementioned movies, further gangster films had a lot to live up to. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) is a British film directed and written by Guy Ritchie, and produced by Matthew Vaughn. ...
Snatch (2000) is a film by British director Guy Ritchie. ...
The film was nonetheless praised for the performances of its actors, although a lot of the attention it received was due to its violent content, in particular a scene whereby the viewer is shown the point-of-view of a victim of an incredibly brutal murder.
Plot outline
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. The film opens with the flamboyant Gangster in his middle-age, portrayed by Malcolm McDowell, surrounded by his friends and attending a boxing match. Upon hearing the name of Freddie Mays in the conversation, he becomes upset and leaves without a word. He then enters a restroom and sets his glass of champagne on the floor near the urinal. As he urinates, some of his urine splashes into the glass. He picks it up and stops just as he's about to drink from it, looks to the camera and says, "What do you take me for, a cunt?" (see meta-reference) Boxing, also called prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing), the sweet science (a common nickname among fans) or the gentlemans sport (used mainly in England), is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight classification fight each other with their fists in a series of...
Champagne is often consumed as part of a celebration Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of wine to effect carbonation. ...
A urinal is a specialized toilet designed to be used only for urination, not defecation, and almost always by a standing male. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
The film then flashes back to the 1960s, with a younger Gangster (played by Paul Bettany). He comes to the attention of a very influential London gangster, Freddie Mays (played by David Thewlis), who recruits him to be an enforcer for his gang. The Gangster is eager to please, and proves his loyalty to Mays by enthusiastically dropping a car onto a mechanic's head after he attempts to stab Mays. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...
This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...
David Thewlis in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. ...
The Gangster quickly becomes obsessed with Mays' glamorous lifestyle and success, ogling his expensive suits, his watch, and in particular his tie-pin. The Gangster's obsession becomes more intense, to the point of wanting to be Freddie Mays, even picturing himself sitting in Mays' place.
The Gangster soon discovers that Mays' main rival, Lenny (Jamie Foreman), is planning on killing Mays. Instead of warning his boss, the Gangster decides to let the attack take place, even killing a member of his own gang who was set on going straight to Mays. The attack goes on as planned, and the Gangster sits in a car nearby to watch as Mays is gunned down and his fiance Karen's neck is cut. Jamie Foreman (1958) is a British actor best known for his roles as Duke in Layer Cake (2004) and Bill Sykes in Roman Polanskis Oliver Twist (2005). ...
That same night, the Gangster brutally murders Lenny in an extended torture/murder scene. The Gangster shoots Lenny in the leg then calmly turns up the Hi-Fi to drown the resulting screams. After stripping to his underwear, presumably to avoid staining his suit with blood, the Gangster brutally attacks Lenny with a wine bottle), an axe, an ice pick, and a fruit bowl, all amdist a constant stream of kicks and verbal abuse. He finally kills Lenny by ramming his head through a pane of glass, then smokes a cigarette whilst continuing to curse at Lenny's corpse. Most of the scene is shown from Lenny's point-of-view, with images and sounds fading in and out and growing more dim as the victim slowly dies. Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ...
A lit cigarette will burn to ash from one end. ...
To the Gangster's surprise, Freddie Mays and Karen were not killed in the attack Lenny organised earlier that evening. However, Mays is unjustly convicted of the murder of Lenny and given a thirty-year prison sentence.
With Mays locked up and out of the way, the Gangster consolidates his power over the city's underworld. In the intervening years, he organizes the Brinks Heist, runs a casino, fixes horse races, and builds his gang to 300 men strong while during this period, many of the original men from Mays' crew begin to fall by the wayside as some are killed, some retire and one in particular, ends up in jail for murdering his wife in a supermarket. At this point, about two-thirds of the way through, counting down from 1969-1999, we return to 1999 and the Gangster is once more portrayed by Malcolm McDowell. Exterior of a typical British supermarket (a Tesco Extra) Exterior of typical North American supermarket (a Safeway) This Flagship Randalls store in Houston, Texas is an example of an upscale supermarket. ...
Freddie Mays finally comes out of prison a changed man and an educated one, holding a bachelor of arts degree. The Gangster is ready for a battle, but Mays seemingly has no fight left in him. Mays wants only to marry Karen, who has waited thirty years for him, and live in peace. He tells the Gangster that he is welcome to the London underworld and will not stand in his way. The Gangster becomes irate that Mays is seemingly happier with nothing than the Gangster is with everything, and threatens Mays with a gun. He then gives Mays the gun and begs him to kill him, but Mays merely smirks and leaves saying "Who'd wanna be Freddie Mays?". Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ...
In the face of his rival's sneering indifference, the Gangster loses his mind and ends the film standing on top of a tall block of flats in his underwear, throwing money in the air and laughing maniacally before committing suicide by leaping off the building. His last words are "I'm number one." Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ...
Real Life References Mad Frankie Fraser Francis Davidson Fraser - better known as Mad Frankie Fraser (born 13 December 1923) is a notorious former British criminal and gang member who spent more than half of his life in prison for numerous violent offences. ...
Malcolm McDowell (born June 13, 1943) is an English actor. ...
For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ...
Arthur Thompson was a notorious Glasgow-born gangster who made his mark on the streets of Scotland in the 1950s, and who then went on to take charge of organized crime for over thirty years. ...
Jamie Foreman (1958) is a British actor best known for his roles as Duke in Layer Cake (2004) and Bill Sykes in Roman Polanskis Oliver Twist (2005). ...
Brown Bread Freddie Foreman (b. ...
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