the film damaged their reputation. Scinto said that "We got some kind of intimidating reputation which wasn't true. All we ever did was defend ourselves, and care about putting on a good show" and that "People told lies about us, and those lies were absorbed by the industry". Mellis has said that the experience of walking off the film "was nightmarish" and that "When you're starting off, I guess you're supposed to be grateful. We did hear, almost: 'You'll never work in this town again.'" Having left the production Mellis, Scinto and Glazer went on to create the film Sexy Beast. Alternative ending The film's director Paul McGuigan said that he was unable to film one of the possible endings for the movie because one of the writers had left production and "had taken the ending with him". According to McGuigan this ending went as follows: "Gangster is waiting for Freddie to get out of jail. Freddie arrives at the house and Gangster invites him in and he’s reconstructed Freddie’s car, his Aston Martin, in the living room, and Gangster goes into the car, and he starts revving the car and the smoke’s going everywhere. Freddie leaves and Gangster gets poisoned by the smoke of the car, and then he drives through the windows and drops off the high rise." Reception Critical response The film was met with a generally positive critical reception. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a score of 71% based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "Gangster No. 1 is brutally violent, yet also compelling." Critics disliked the violence present throughout the movie but praised the performances and style. On Metacritic the film has a score of 60 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics. Clark Collis of Empire magazine gives the film 3 out of 5 stars. Collis calls the film "A stylistically superb jaunt through psychotically Swinging London" and praises the "scene stealing" performances of Bettany and McDowell but reserves his highest praises for photographer-turned-director McGuigan. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian calls it "a powerful and serious film [...] a miasma of hysteria and anxiety - a real addition to the British crime canon." Box office The film grossed $30,915 at the North American box office. See also Sexy Beast 44 Inch Chest References External links 2000 films 2000 crime drama films British crime drama films