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07/12/02

Frank's film tip: British gangster life is strangely elegant yet bitingly brutal in the slightly derivative mob-mentality drama "Gangster No. 1"

They say that you always have to look out for the quiet ones because they're the most unassuming and explosive. This certainly can be the case for the ruffians in the calculating but slightly derivative mob-based drama "Gangster No. 1". Co-directors Norma Heyman and Paul McGuigan showcase a strangely elegant side of cockney gangsters that undermine the potentially raucous seediness of their underworld politics. That has always been the staple of British-based gangster flicks where the protagonists appear subtlely dapper with a refined demeanor that undercuts the throbbing viciousness within their criminally ambitious souls.

The violence in their world is not immediate or overly blatant to detect; it oozes out with unannounced provocation. This is why, for instance, the Ben Kingley 2001 vehicle "Sexy Beast" was so mesmerizing in that it allowed a complex character in the form of mob boss Don Logan to balance his prim and proper civility with that of a bursting, menacing antagonism to ruin the calming, creepy facade.

Unfortunately, there's an uneveness to Heyman and McGuigan's English gangster thriller that doesn't quite match up to the intensity and shock value of the indominitable "Sexy Beast". But "Gangster No. 1" works within its own pensive and penetrating element. The good news is that this film continues in the tradition of these undeniably well-crafted thrillers where complicated character studies are just as demanding as the actual physical mayhem being perpetrated. The sad news is that there's no real distinction to "Gangster No. 1" to elevate it beyond the prototypical genre of the countless British mob movies.

Malcolm McDowell gives a fierce and unshakable performance as a smooth-operating madman with a penchant for a twisted angst within his embattled psyche. The scary thing about McDowell's deceiving mobster is that he gives off the smug impression that he's in control of his volcanic personality disguised in a gentlemanly demeanor. Having indulged in everything from horse-racing to raising bloodshed, McDowell's middle-aged scoundrel has lasted over thirty plus years overseeing his chaotic but stimulating London-based operations.

The film primarily sets itself back in the late '60's where we find the youthful swaggering McDowell character climbing the ladder of sinister success in the swinging times of a retro-groovin' carefree London. Only this time, we see that McDowell's resilient young protagonist is being played by Paul Bettany ("A Beautiful Mind") in a piercing portrait of a man possessed with an appetite for the delicious taste of pending danger. Armed with a crooked and confident smile to match his blond pate, the cockiness being demonstrated shows what a courageous and demented will this individual possesses with a peculiar affinity.

"Gangster No. 1" is a very potent showcase if not for the bold and brash performances, then for the eerily high-stylized atmospheric sentiment being accompanied by an enticing and moody musical score by Johnny Dankworth. As the older uncontrollable demon with an unusual sense of teflon tenacity, McDowell is presented with his best role since he captured the imagination of moviegoers with his weird ultraviolent leanings in 1971's "A Clockwork Orange". And Bettany is soaking with richness and ribaldry as a self-assured sociopath who embodies the perverse spirit of an off-kilter social outlaw.

The screenplay by Johnny Ferguson is somewhat perfunctory given the genre and familiarity of the British knack for helming this steady brand of sophisticated guns and gumption. But the script is energized by impeccable and daring performances lead by the determined duo of McDowell and Bettany. The film could have used more doses of disillusionment by adding more depth to the nostalgic nuances of gangbanger Bettany's complex world in the sixties-era turmoil.

Caustic and jaunty, "Gangster No. 1" is a cynical sideshow that dismisses the notion that crime does not always pay. In this case, it pays off well in the flawed mob-mentality of this straight-laced charcter-based crime caper.

Frank rates this film: stars