Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

I didn't catch this at the cinema as I was somewhat put off by the hype and media circus surrounding it. So I was quite pleased to catch it on tv. My word, what a lot of fuss over nothing. Guy Ritchie certainly knows how to devise contrived and clever plots; the ending was a nice homage to 'The Italian Job'. However, that's where all the praise ends. After a bright start, the film eventually descended into a farce with people shouting at each in silly Cockney accents. Perhaps I've missed the punchline or lost my sense of humour but this film was like an adult version of Scooby Doo with its cartoon violence and characterization. Apart from some touches -ie the slow mo's during the card game - this film had a very made for tv feel about it. God help us if Ritchie is the future of British cinema.

Not only is this film vastly overrated, it's just plain bad. The story-line itself is tired. The manner in which the jokes are made for the viewer is along the lines of "Pulp Fiction". A lot of the humor in Tarantino's film has grown stale over time, but this movie is even worse. "Pulp Fiction" at least has some fresh lines, and the actor's are more believable as criminals. Guy Ritchie's effort seems as if he wants to become the European heir to Tarantino. He plays all too hard to try for the pop-culture youth demographic. This takes away from the film. All throughout it emits the feeling of a director looking for his Muse; but he can't find one so he ends up trying to imitate Scorsese and Tarantino - but convert them "hip" to young Anglo culture. The editing is wretched. When I first saw this film over in the British Isles I could tell it was directed by some young hot-shot who used to make music videos and was trying to hand at feature-length film - but using the same video techniques he employed in his previous works. It's choppy and stupid. If you want to see a film made with real insights of the crime underworld, which also contains genuine moments of laughter see "GoodFellas" or "Mean Streets". This movie is a waste, and in due time people will realize that it's pop-culture feel is paper-thin and no longer wears well.

Ahhh... another witty British film. Or is it? The answer is plain and simple - NO. It's a very sloppy, messy, Tarantino rip-off that tries to entertain us with pointless violence and not-so-funny dialog. The acting is some of the worst ever and it seemed that they threw in the bad language at the last minute so try and steal some cheap laughs. And cheap they are. So, if you want entertainment, avoid this like the plague and watch The Truman Show. You won't regret it. Trust me.