Guy Ritchie’s Best Films

Posted by Film-Critic

September 10, 2008

With the release this week of the new Guy Ritchie film RocknRolla, what better time could there be to review his two best known (and generally best) works?

Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels tells the story of a group of lads who end up, to steal a line from Snatch, “making stupid bets with dangerous people”. When things go wrong during a card game, 4 working-class lads from london’s East End have 1 week to come up with half a million pounds.Sharply written, with a great soundtrack and assured camera-work it featured the cream of undiscovered British talent at the time; this was the film that launched several careers into the big-time.

The film is anchored by a performance from Jason Statham who would go on from this film to star in 2 other Ritchie films (Snatch and Revolver) as well as a clutch of Hollwood blockbusters. Statham is now a bona-fide leading man, with his Transporter films destined for a 3rd installment, but he has rarely bettered his performance in LSATSB and Snatch.

Ritchie’s career took off from Lock,Stock… and this was a film made long before Madonna was anyone but a pop-star to him. A lot of people will say he has never done better than Lock,Stock…, opinion is generally 50/50 as to whether this or Snatch is his crowning glory and he has suffered from people perhaps expecting far too much from the work that followed. That doesn’t matter though. Forget Revolver, forget Swept Away and just concentrate on just how well made this piece of British cinema is; it’s the polar opposite to The Full Monty, yet no less successful by most measures.

One thing a lot of people will remember from this film is the acting debut of Vinnie Jones. In fact, at the time, Vinnie’s turn was probably more famous than the film itself; he’s the main man on the freakin’ DVD cover!, and I have to tell you, he isn’t bad! The surprise of the film is probably the fact that Mr Jones is equal parts nut-job and comedian.

Generally, Lock, Stock… does what it’s supposed to. It’s a British, East-end of London gangster film and unashamedly so. It works, and it works very well. It’s readily available at a knock-down price, so grab it in one of the 5 for £20 sales that Zavvi or HMV will have on soon!

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Film Information

Film Information Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Year: 1998
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Jason Flemyng, Jason Statham, Dexter Fletcher, Vinnie Jones, Sting

Snatch is, in many ways, the spiritual successor to Lock, Stock…. Again dealing with East-end gangsters and people speaking in funny accents, this time we deal with the trials and tribulations of illegal boxing and the positively disastrous consequences of messing around with the local pig farmer-cum-mobster.

Ritchie retained the core of his cast from LSATSB and, wisely, gave the main speaking role in the film to Jason Statham. This man’s star was now truely on the rise. However, whereas Lock, Stock… had got by on it’s wit and become an undergorund success; Ritchie needed to bring in a big name to draw the crowds on both sides of the Atlantic.

So Brad Pitt joined the cast, put on an accent and somehow (accidentally maybe?) gave one of the finest performances of his career. No arguments here please. Yes, he was fantastic in both Fight Club and Seven. But in no other film has Brad Pitt played a tattooed, foult-mouthed, gypsy, bare-knuckle fighter. For his performance in this film i’m willing to forgive Pitt anything…even Troy.

My eyes! My eyeeeessss!!!!

….ok, maybe not all of Troy…..

Pitt is brilliant in Snatch. So are Statham, Mike Reid, Benicio Del Toro and Vinnie Jones (who once again is funny and intimidating. Maybe he doesn’t act…maybe he just plays ‘Vinnie’). It seems unfair to single out any performances really, the film as a whole is a masterclass in how an ensemble piece should work. Each of the interconnecting storylines end up meeting at a specific and rather humerous point involving milk.

Again, props have to go to Ritchie for keeping our attention and interest inall of these stories when they could so easily have become bigger than the central plot of the film. He does very well in developing all of the relationships between the characters, whilst never allowing the viewer to get confused with what’s happening.

Snatch is my favourite of the two films I’m reviewing here, but not by much. they’re both brilliant examples of British film-making and we should remember exactly how good British films can be. If ever you want reminding, watch either of these films.