As the film opens we see a table of men in later middle age, very well dressed, around a table having dinner. In the same room, nearby, there is a boxing match going on, mostly ignored or perhaps taken for granted. The men remember shared events, but with fading memories. Their heavy accents tell us that we are in England. And we begin to see that these are people are criminals. Our main focus is on a character ("Gangster 55") played by Malcolm McDowell. When someone says that Freddie Mays is getting out of prison, Gangster 55 reacts and leaves the table.<br /><br />We flash back to 1968. Now the Gangster 55 character is played by Paul Bettany (who played the roommate in "A Beautiful Mind"). We see him get recruited by Freddie Mays (David Thewlis), a.k.a., "the Butcher of Mayfair." Freddie is dressed impeccably, as we hear Gangster 55 describe in the voiceover. Soon, after he joins Mays' gang, Gangster 55 is also.<br /><br />I was reminded of a couple of films. It reminded me of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," in that it involved gangsters with heavy English accents. This film also has some flashy camera work, but on the whole is more straightforward than the earlier film. This is appropriate, because while I would call "Lock" primarily a comedy, this was most definitely not. While there were a small number of humorous times, on the whole this is a serious and far more violent film.<br /><br />The other obvious connection is to "A Clockwork Orange." The films are related because of Malcolm McDowell, who figures prominently in both films, by the way that the young Gangster 55 is photographed glaring into the camera in a very similar manner to McDowell's Alex in the earlier film, and by the general level of violence.<br /><br />This isn't really my kind of film. I went because I read some very strong reviews. I admired it, but I felt drained when I left, and I couldn't really say that I enjoyed the experience. Even though that doesn't sound like a recommendation, it is, for the right people.<br /><br />Seen on 8/2/2002.