Gangster No. 1 (Blu-ray)

Gangster No. 1 is certainly an impressively violent movie, so if you don’t like blood splattering the screen in high-definition, you probably won’t like this Blu-ray. However, if you are a bit of a fan of gangster movies, even very bloody and foul-mouthed ones, this is a very good disc.

The film follows Gangster 55 (played by Paul Bettany in his youth and Malcolm McDowell as a middle-aged man), who discovers that Freddie Mays (Thewlis) is about to be released from prison, which sets him off reminiscing about how 30 years before he’d become part of May’s London crime crew, and the events that led up to Freddie getting banged up for murder and 55 becoming a gangster kingpin in his own right.

While it’s a relatively generic plot, the whole thing is raised to a much higher level by a few incredible scenes, some great performances and a script that gives things a far more disturbing feel than they might otherwise have. Director Paul McGuigan was obviously inspired by A Clockwork Orange and the likes of Get Carter, not least in the casting of Clockwork’s Malcolm McDowell and the way he frames everything. There’s also a similar attitude to violence, where it’s almost psychotic and presented as both horrific and yet oddly exhilarating for the perpetrator. There’s one attack in particular, filmed from the point of the view of the person getting killed, which is so incredibly well filmed and disturbing, it’s not easily forgotten.

Much praise also has to go to McDowell and particularly Bettany, who’s chilling as the increasingly sadistic gangster. However the movie’s trump card is that the whole thing is set up like an almost Shakespearean love story/tragedy, with the gangster’s admiration for Mays almost becoming sexual, even if he doesn’t necessarily recognise it as such, and his crazed ambition and truly psychotic side only emerging when Mays gets engaged to singer Karen (Burrows). It’s this sexual, or at least sexually confused, edge to both the plot and the violence that raises Gangster No. 1 out of the mass ranks of Brit gangster flicks and turns it into something a bit more interesting and disturbing.

The film scrubs up very well on Blu-ray. Although there are a few shots that are a little fuzzy and there’s occasional grain, mostly it’s a superbly sharp image that brings out every glance, stare and moment of violence. Although not as colourful as some Blu-rays, that’s as it should be, as this is a deliberately dark world that tries to take you into a realistic 60s world, rather than a showy one. It is however an incredibly well-filmed world (despite moment of over the top direction), which the Blu-ray really highlights. It’s a big step up from the DVD version, and looks a hell of a lot better than you might expect. Likewise the audio is very good, although perhaps not as noticeably different from the DVD as the picture is.

There aren’t any new extras, but the good selection from the DVD release gets ported over, including cast & crew interviews, a couple of decent featurettes, an audio commentary and even an isolated movie score track (and it is a great score).

As this new HD edition isn’t all that expensive compared to most new Blu-rays, this is a release that’s definitely worth a look, as long if you can stomach the language and violence.

Overall Verdict: A very striking Brit gangster flick that looks incredibly good in hi-def.

Special Features:
Director's Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Cast & Crew Interviews
Behind the Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Audio Description for the Visually Impaired
Isolated Music Score
Featurette
TV Spot
Teaser Trailer

Reviewer: Tim Isaac