I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Why so much hype?

Sadly Over-hyped

Pretty Good

Power is nice for a while. You can get all the women, all the cars, all the trappings of material success and respect that you might want in this world, but where does it leave you? That is the point of this well-scripted, fantastically acted, and excellently directed film.The occasional psycho might see this as a roadmap to gaining power, but most will see the emptiness which consumes Gangster 55 (played by Malcolm McDowell) as an older man. I saw the emptiness most especially in the opening and closing scenes of the film. In the opening scene, 55 is in his sunset years is with his friends at a high-end club, re-living their younger days. They should be happy and relaxed but instead they seem manic and 55 seems downright bored. The closing scene features McDowell again, mocking Freddie Mays (David Thewlis) who is humbled from serving 25 years in jail. Freddie is at peace. 55 has been the most powerful man around for quite some time and should take some pleasure in that. However he is miserable and so he baits this now humble man. It's clear 55 is that saddest of creatures - only happy when making someone else sad.This film to me was about the emptiness of power gained at the barrel of a gun. Some fantastic acting in this one. Paul Bettany was very good in A Beautiful Mind and he is cold, distant, and terrifying as 55 as a young man. His ambition seems limitless and Bettany makes us believe that there's almost no limit to his capacity for violence. Bettany's coldness and amorality are terrifying. Malcolm McDowell's old gangster is cruel, malevolent, and mean - McDowell seems to relish playing such a despicable character and he does it fantastically. David Thewlis as Freddie Mays really gets to show off his acting chops. What makes Paul Bettany's character admire him is how cool he is. He is cool even after he is released from prison, but along with that, Thewlis gives decency. Thewlis never does more when less will do and he gives a masterclass in understated acting. Saffron Burrows as Karen has a great role in which she plays a no-nonsense waitress with whom Freddie falls irreparably in love. That they remain in love throughout his time in prison is a powerful testament to the power of love and is the counterpoint to the bottomless hatred which emanates from 55. This truly is a paean to the futility of power. Very bleak but also with a note of redemption in the story of the love of Karen and Freddie. I thought this film was interesting in that it offers a more bracing, detached perspective on the life of the gangster than films such as Goodfellas where the activities are so abhorrent. We see what violence and a hunger for power ultimately gets you - boredom and frustration.

Gangster No. 1 follows the rise and fall of a particularly brutal and disturbed Cockney English gangster. It would be improper to compare this gem to the likes of Goodfellas (1990), big budget American gangster films and Guy Ritchie Brit slick criminal films. No.1 is in the vein of The Krays (1990) and has a for the most part a traditional narrative. That said, Director Paul McGuigan has a grand visual flare and Johnny Ferguson's screenplay takes the time to actually delve into the psyche of gangster who is arguably more psychopath that sociopath, (either way he is a killer). Ferguson's script gives the dialogue weight and realism which can be very thought provoking at times.McGuigan superbly crafts the period pieces of 60's London right through to the 90's, with fantastic set design, locations, music soundtrack and score. The viewer gets to witness England in all its swingin' 60's glory. The direction and Andrew Hulme's editing isn't mediocre and great effort has been made to make you feel the emotion that happens on screen, especially when there is a killer and victim scene. The use of P.O.V, manipulated shots and stylised lighting are used to achieve this. There are some gruesome and violent scenes, which is to be expected given the genre. This includes a torture scene that will stay with you for a while after the credits roll. Since its production 11 years ago only the ageing make-up has dated and yet this still doesn't impair on the magic of the film.The talented cast is any array of familiar UK faces including Saffron Burrows, Eddie Marsan, Doug Allen and Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln to name a few. David Thewlis is on top form as the quintessential gentleman gangster head Freddie Mays and show stealer Jamie Foreman is outstanding as rival gang leader Lennie Taylor in a smaller but pivotal role.Paul Bettany's performance is simply mesmerising, edgy, scary and he perfectly plays the jealous and ambitious Young Gangster. Incidentally, Bettany is reminiscent of Malcolm McDowell in Clockwork Orange (1971). Similarly, McDowell gives a fitting first-rate performance as the Gangster aged 55, who is just as intimidating and menacing. It's a great piece of casting thats credit goes to Jina Jay.Overall, it's a satisfying British gangster film that approaches the subject matter from a different angle, and that is from the inside out. The subject matter aside it's a self-effacing cinematic experience.

1968: A ruthless young mobster (a sublimely chilling and mesmerizing performance by Paul Bettany) desperately wants to emulate his mentor Freddie Mays (the excellent David Thewlis), a suave crime kingpin who lords over London. The gangster literally murders his way to the top, betraying Freddie in the process and losing his soul in his fierce quest for power. 30 years later, the older and successful, yet lonely Gangster 55 (an excellent portrayal by Malcom McDowell) awaits the release of Freddie from prison. Director Paul McGuigan, working from a bold and sharp script by Johnny Ferguson, handles the dark and gritty material with tremendous bravura style, relates the arresting story at a snappy pace, laces the whole thing with plenty of wickedly funny black humor, and punctuates the gritty narrative with several jolting outbursts of raw, savage violence. Kudos are also in order for the uniformly fine acting from a first-rate cast: Bettany is genuinely riveting and terrifying as the severely driven and psychotic main character, Thewlis likewise impresses as one smooth operator, McDowell makes the most out of one of his best more recent roles, the ravishing Saffron Burrows exudes pure class as Freddie's brassy singer moll Karen, plus there are nice supporting contributions by Kenneth Cranham as the wise Tommy, Jamie Foreman as hot-headed rival hoodlum Lennie Taylor, Eddie Marsan as sniveling toad Eddie Miller, Andrew Lincoln as vicious hit-man Maxie King, and Doug Allen as the brutish Mad John. This film boasts several memorable set pieces as well: our young gangster questioning a whimpering Eddie about Lennie Taylor, the ferocious murder of Lennie Taylor, and the older gangster's searing big climactic confrontation with Freddie. Peter Sova's dazzling cinematography, the flavorsome evocation of the groovy swinging 60's, the often amazing profane dialogue, John Dankworth's supremely jazzy'n'moody score, the stark, harsh tone, the fantastic golden oldies soundtrack, and a potent central message about the bitter spiritual coast of blind ambition all further add to the sterling quality of this bang-up corker of a crime thriller.

As I am generally quite easily pleased even by the most average of films, it takes a disaster of epic proportions to motivate me to comment on their faults at length. Here is an example.Being a fan of British cinema in general, I have found myself entertained by the glut of British gangster movies released in the late Nineties/ early noughties so I have to admit I was looking forward to a fun 90 minute distraction when I came across Gangster No. 1What we have here appears on the surface to be The Talented Mr Ripley meets The Krays, where by a cocky young crook stalks (for want of a better word) his classy mobster boss, destroys his relationship and generally tries to take over his life by using shall we say, less than ethical tactics. We flashback to London in the swinging sixties where we meet the unnamed Gangster 55, played in his youth by Bettany who displays rare but outstanding moments of cold detachment that stand above and beyond anything else in this film. Forward to 1999 and we meet the contemporary 55, who is now for some reason played by Malcolm McDowell giving a performance so poor and boring that his co stars seem visibly embarrassed. McGuigan over-directs to the point that he appears to be confusing himself, one scene portrays a brutal assault played out to lighthearted background music a la Resovoir Dogs displaying none of the panache and power of Tarantino's masterpiece. Even the novelty factor of seeing the scene from the victims POV appears tacked on when compared to the subsequent Cafe battering dished out in L4yer Cake which emulated it. A criminally underused Saffron Burrows joins what appears to be an excellent supporting cast, but even the core blimey guvnor genius of Kenneth Cranham and Jamie Forman cannot inject any life into what has to be one of the most lacklustre scripts of recent years:"You alright?" "Yeah." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "Yeah?"Utter rubbish