Flamehead 3

One of my favorite types of movies are crime dramas. However, Italian Mafioso films have left me rather ragged (Casino was better than Goodfellas in my book, and the Godfather was a big disappointment -- second one was better). However, I've been constantly surprised and overjoyed with English crime dramas, and Gangster No. 1 is no exception, having completely blown me away.

Slightly similar but mostly unlike the fellow films made by popular director Guy Ritchie, Gangster is the story of an absolutely madman of a gangster known as Gangster 55 who steals the reins of power away from his previous boss. But when this man is released from prison, 55 recalls his rise to power before he's forced to deal with the present.

Gangster No. 1 is my first foray into the world of underground filmmaking. For a while now, I've only paid attention to well-rated movies out of mainstream (Scorsese, Kubrick, and the like), but with Gangster No. 1 starts a new path in life. This flick is well-acted, well-paced, and is pumped full of lots of enjoyable violence. Have a ball as you watch.

I had the pleasure of watching this flick without any outside criticism, and I can say that I laughed a lot throughout the whole thing. Forget the critics and the nay-sayers -- 600-700 voters isn't enough to weigh your judgement on. It may be a remake, and it might be a little predictable, but there's a lot to it that makes it memorable.

Haven't seen the original though, so I won't compare them. Just pop it into your VCR and have a ball.

I couldn't believe a movie could be so gawdawful, but it seems I'm wrong. Like you might be led to believe, this is one of those movies that have an old tired plot, lots of pointless action, and characters you could really care less about. It's as if the Movie God just decided to hunker down one day and pass this digested, festering turd of a movie in His great toilet and flush it into the sewers known as the "Straight to Video" market we harbor here on Earth. If you want to watch a great movie about Vietnam, try Apocalypse Now, it's brilliant. However, if you like this movie (!), try Platoon. It's got a larger budget and it's more well-known, but it's nearly just as stupid.