Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels


Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones

From: HandMade Films

As I wind down my foreign film watching, I figured I should rewatch this quality film, one that I think I first watched around 2000, as I remember talking about the movie in person with some pals in '01 (this sort of thing doesn't happen all that often in person, to be honest) and I've seen it a few times since then and I've enjoyed it. I might as well get the Blu-Ray one of these days from a used DVD store or some other similar place.

The plot: A whole lot happens (it's complex but it's never impossible to follow as it comes together greatly) so let me copy and paste from the IMDb: “A botched card game in London triggers four friends, thugs, weed-growers, hard gangsters, loan sharks and debt collectors to collide with each other in a series of unexpected events, all for the sake of weed, cash and two antique shotguns.”

Like I said, a lot happens in the movie as several storylines are interconnected, but they all come together by the end and even if you think you are totally lost at first, you eventually should be able to understand what it all means, and once you do you'll realize how great and entertaining this crime drama is, with nice performances all around, characters you'll remember (like Hatchet Harry and Barry The Baptist) and a whole lot of wacky and entertaining events... there's a nice soundtrack too, everything from James Brown to Iggy Pop.

To think that this launched the careers of several different people, that being director Ritchie, Statham, and Jones. It seems like marrying Madonna was a downpoint for him and he hasn't recovered from the time that he was with her, as I've seen Snatch and that was fine-enough but not the same, and I haven't seen the rest of his movies except the first Sherlock Holmes and I felt disappointed by that, and his movies since 2000 have been a mixed bag according to many people and he hasn't had another movie quite as good as this one. Former soccer tough guy Jones has done many moves since this one... most of them aren't that great but at least he's made a living and he's still making money. Of course, Statham is a big worldwide star and is THE action star since 2000.


If you've somehow haven't seen this and you enjoy your crime dramas, then you should check this out. Just make sure to see it with the subtitles on, as at times it's hard to understand their thick accents and their unique slang. I'll be back tomorrow night.

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