The Gangster No.1 LA Premiere with Malcolm McDowell 2002

The Gangster No. 1 Premiere in LA

    At the Los Angeles premiere of the new British gangster film, Gangster No. 1 stars Malcolm McDowell and Paul Bettany shared their thoughts on what makes a good gangster movie. The two star as younger and older versions of the same gangster.
    McDowell said, "It has to be well-written, like any film, and I think this is well-written. This film is a little bit different from a genre gangster film, I think. It has the weight of a Greek tragedy. It's about friendship, love, betrayal and all that, the rise and fall of a charismatic gangster. The hook to hang your hat is gangsters in the east end of London but it really could be anything."
    Part of portraying those themes included the graphic violence inherent in the gangster world. "I think if you're going to make a real film about it, you have to kind of do it," McDowell said. "That's what the director, Paul McGuigan decided."
    About the film's violence, Bettany added, "I think we live in a violent world, so I don't understand the morality of making violence palatable. We tried to make an unpalatable film and I sincerely hope we've done it."
    He also agreed with McDowell's assessment of the themes of gangster films. "The only point to do them is that they've got big classic themes and that they're in today's world. Power corrupts. 'Richard III' and 'MacBeth' are all about power corrupting. I think that's what this film is about."