Guy Ritchie is back. Two of my favorite movies were Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch; funny, clever, fast-paced, brilliantly shot and full of larger than life British characters. Ritchie’s been distracted the last few years trying to cope with the demands of the me, me, me, Material Girl, Madonna. As a result, his creative performance went out the window. Now she’s left him (anyone surprised by that?) to chase baseball stars. The good news? The Big Guy is back.
I went to see RocknRolla last week and it was fantastic. We’re talking great direction, fantastic music, terrific performances by the actors, especially from the star, Gerard Butler. All in all, a rollicking good time. Set in contemporary London, it tells the story of old school English gangsters dealing with the new Russian mafia, including a Roman Abramovich look-a-like at the Emirates Stadium, not Stamford Bridge. The characters, One Two, Mumbles and Archie are perfectly pitched to bring out the best of John, the RocknRolla.
The plot has typical Ritchie-like twists and turns but is more mature, more subtle and slightly darker than earlier movies. The good news is that it threatens to lead to a follow-up movie.
Great to have you back, Guy.
