IGN FilmForce Gangster No. 1 Interview with Malcolm McDowell 7/10/02

IGN FilmForce chats with the legendary star of A Clockwork Orange about his new role as Gangster No. 1.

July 10, 2002 - "I think I'm nearing a hundred films," he states, speaking recently at a roundtable interview in Los Angeles, "and I truly can't believe that."
    His newest film, the violent, intense British crime picture Gangster No. 1, seems poised to give McDowell's career the kind of boost that Terence Stamp received with The Limey and Ben Kingsley got with Sexy Beast. In the picture, McDowell plays a powerful crook – we never learn his name – who finds some old demons from his past catching up with him. It is a role that fits comfortably with McDowell's history of playing criminals, psychopaths, and miscreants: "It's so much fun playing these nutsos! I suppose that's because I'm very unlike them myself."
    Looking at McDowell's newest film, it's tempting to draw comparisons between this role and his work in A Clockwork Orange, but the star is quick to draw some very key distinctions. "The violence in A Clockwork Orange is much more psychological," he explains. "The core and the root of that film is really the right to choose whether one is good or evil.
    "This film," he continues, "has nothing to do with that. There are no political overtones or anything. It's basically very Shakespearean to me, like Lear or Macbeth. Gangster – we don't even know his name – is a complete psychopath. I wouldn't want to meet this character in a dark alley...or in any alley, actually!"
    McDowell continues, pointing out that Gangster No. 1 is "violent and profane. It's not Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. It's not a fun caper romp. This is the real deal. And if that kind of thing offends, then give it a miss."
    One look at McDowell's filmography reveals that, in his words, he's "done a lot of crap. Some of the stuff, it's like 'My God, I must have been desperate!'" When pressed to cite some titles, he wryly answers: "Just look at half of them. It's easy to be great in a Stanley Kubrick film or a Lindsey Anderson [the director with whom McDowell worked in such cult classics as If... and O Lucky Man!] film. But I've always been one to do the work and just hone my craft," he admits. "I don't worry about whether I'm making a masterpiece, because I know that if you get just one of those in a lifetime, you should get down on your knees and say 'Thank you!'"
    Gangster No. 1 is being released at an interesting time, considering that the United States is firmly in love with the mob via HBO's The Sopranos. So how do America's gangsters stack up against the UK's? "We [the British] have our own gangsters and we're very proud of them!" he says with a laugh. "They're a vicious, horrendous bunch.
    "And The Sopranos is great," McDowell adds, "but I think I could eat ol' Tony for breakfast. He's seeing a psychiatrist after all!" Then, with another chuckle, McDowell adds: "Though I would love to be a fly on the wall for my Gangster's first session with a shrink."