It is rare to watch a movie where the makers do not attempt to soften the ending, especially if the main character is as utterly repellant as is the eponymous individual of this film played by Paul Bettany and Malcolm McDowell. Bettany plays "Gangster 55" as a young man and Malcolm McDowell fills the role thirty years later. He is as ugly a screen creation as I have seen. Even in a film like Scarface, there is a period where Al Pacino's character is likable as he begins his climb up before the inevitable fall. In this film the director, Paul McGuigan, has made no attempt to make Gangster 55 even slightly less than loathsome. But despite this he is human, and while some reviewers have been critical of the ending, I found it to be credible and almost Shakesperean in its intent. Whether that makes the film guilty of ambition outstripping the limitations of the script, it does not lessen the impact.<br /><br />This film is riveting viewing, but be warned, the violence is extreme and there is an awful lot of use of the "c" word. Highly recommended.