60
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80New Times (L.A.)Gregory WeinkaufNew Times (L.A.)Gregory WeinkaufWhile you think you're watching just another in a series of British gangster films, you may suddenly realize that you're watching what is, thus far, the year's best horror movie.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasTaut, corrosive and compelling, Gangster No. 1 has the galvanic appeal of "Little Caesar" and "Scarface" in its full-sized portrait of a brilliant but twisted and savage criminal.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanA canny, derivative, wildly gruesome portrait of a London sociopath who's the scariest of sadists, in part because he's also a very courtly one.
- 75Portland OregonianShawn LevyPortland OregonianShawn LevyThere's a touch of second-rate playwriting about it that imparts a flattened feel to the end of an otherwise crackerjack picture.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThis conclusion is too pat to be satisfying, but the film has a kind of hard, cold effect.
- 70Film ThreatTim MerrillFilm ThreatTim MerrillWorks on so many levels that it must be reckoned with. It certainly feels unique, and sets itself apart from most American gangster films in its stark refusal to paint the lead gangster as likable or indeed anything other than the vicious socio-psychopath he is.
- 63New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardThe movie's key asset is young Bettany as a worthy successor to the "Clockwork Orange" tradition of McDowell. With Bettany, a star is born, even if his character is horrific.
- 60TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThe movie's captivating details are all in the performances, from Foreman's barking-mad Taylor to Thewlis's smoothly sinister Freddie and Bettany/McDowell's hard-eyed gangster, an amoral bottom-feeder with an expedient streak of sadism.
- 38New York PostMegan LehmannNew York PostMegan LehmannSee it only for Paul Bettany's performance.
- 30Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonThe actors all function as best they can as glowering clichés, though the narrative's temporal jump presents difficulties.