What a delightful movie. Well, no. Let me rephrase that. What a delightful movie for a Stanley Kubrick/Anthony Burgess/A Clockwork Orange movie fan. This movie seeps through with Stanley Kubrick. A Clockwork Orange oozes from the breaks in the glass. It cannot be unintentional. From the ultraviolence, to the casting of Malcolm McDowell, this is all A Clockwork Orange. The young gangster even looks, stares like young Alex. I'm pretty sure the movie is even washed the same.<br /><br />Gangster No. 1 is a bloody mess of a movie, a crime movie, a gangster movie, an understated monstrous epic. Understated until it comes to the violence, that is. Over an hour is a long, long back story, and nothing more. Really. It's a back story that takes over an hour. A very long flashback, occasionally interrupted by the old gangster's (Malcolm McDowell) narration. It tells the story of a young gangster's (Paul Bettany) yearning for power under a gang lord's (David Thewlis) regime.<br /><br />The violence is less/more than A Clockwork Orange. It's actually incredibly bizarre to describe. You don't really see people get killed, not up close, and not really. More often, you are being killed. The camera is your sight, as Bettany is doing something unsightly to you. And it won't end. Not nearly soon enough.<br /><br />I think the direction is brilliant. The shots tell exactly what they need to. Nothing is spared. It's a lot of movie packed into a bit, which keeps it from getting slow, except when it comes to the violence. The director, (who is Paul McGuigan, by the way), knows what he wants you to see, and directs you through the movie. He learned well from Kubrick.<br /><br />It's a disturbing movie. And I think it grabs, or repels. Fascinates or disgusts. And if you're very lucky, it does both. If you're very, very lucky, you'll see and appreciate A Clockwork Orange in it.