thirty year after enter the cultural conscience with the his groundbreaking performance a alex delarge in a clockwork orange and malcolm mcdowell return to the screen in this unabashedly violent and emotionally detach film about envy amongst gangster and the need to be the gangster no . 1. on learn that his old mentor and freddie may ( david thewlis ) and have be release from jail and the gangster ( mcdowell ) and now a kingpin among fellow gangster and move back to the late sixty when he be a young nameless man ( paul bettany ) just hang around in the swinging sixty . he infiltrate himself into may circle of gangster and win his trust and become a ferocious gangster . but there be something wrong with him from the get go and something may be unable to see . the younger gangster have a serious personality imbalance that render him covetous of everything surround may . like iago and he want not only to be like may and but appropriate himself with may life and this include his then girlfriend karen ( saffron burrow ) . thing reach a head when he hit on karen who reject him . the young gangster go on a rampage and pitting may with a rival gang member and then brutally murder may rival and frame him for the murder which send may to jail . he then emerge a the main gangster and let loose on his up to then pen up violence . that be and until the story reach full circle and all three main character be reunite . the gangster realize that karen and may still love each other and his incomprehensible envy towards them have not cause a dent in their affection and and when may emerge a the more human person and mcdowell sink in his own self hatred . an interesting film that take it time to reach it audience and gangster no . 1 be a study not in violence but in self loathing and what happen when the main character be a black hole . both bettany and mcdowell and in remain nameless and magnify this man emptiness he and despite his position and be a nobody and have no future . may and karen and on the other hand and have be swallow alive by london underbelly and become survivor who be above and beyond the gangster murderous rage . the director and paul mcguigan and have a sharp eye for a stylized telling of such a violent story with flashy editing and some brutal point of view in depict a murder sequence that resemble a rape and describe just how insane this gangster be . not for the squeamish at time but a great film to view and enjoy .