Writer & Director: Guy Ritchie
Cinematographer: Tim Maurice-Jones
Original Score: David A Hughes & John Murphy
Jason Flemyng: Tom
Dexter Fletcher: Soap
Nick Moran: Eddy
Jason Statham: Bacon
Steven Mackintosh: Winston
Vinnie Jones: Big Chris
& Sting as JD |
Given that the Americans had difficulty with the language of our great hit "The Castle" (the dialogue had to be modified to make it more accessible for US audiences) I have no idea how they'll cope with the language of this latest offering from Britain. "Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels" is full of rhyming slang, so much so that one sequence has sub-titles.
Four work-shy young men decide to make a killing at a poker game. Between them they raise the 100,000 pounds. Eddy (Nick Moran) needs to join "The Porn King's" poker game. Eddy's good, but he's up against a seasoned campaigner who has his eye on Eddy's father's business. Eddy doesn't just lose the 100,000 pounds but ends up owing 500,000 pounds. He has a week to find the cash or lose one finger for every day it's late. So begins the fun!
The boys get their heads together to dream up a scam that will net them the money and keep Eddy's father (JD played by Sting) in the dark. Their next door neighbour is a drug dealer who's planning a raid on some dope growers and the boys decide to take advantage of this. Meanwhile the Porn King has time to spare and sets his heart on two antique rifles in the possession of a down-on-his-luck aristocrat. Of course he doesn't get his hands dirty, he leaves everything up to his hired heavy.
First time writer / director Guy Ritchie has created a rollicking gangster movie set in the east end of London. It's full of colourful characters, rhyming slang, money, drugs, double crosses and inevitable shoot-out, with lots of bodies. This is a black comedy, full of twists and turns, with a great soundtrack - "Pay-back Time" is a featured song. The audience is kept on edge right to the final freeze frame which leaves you laughing and wondering which way things will go.
An energetic, fun film that will appeal especially to younger audiences. A refreshing take on the likes of "Trainspotting" and "Pulp Fiction" though not quite in their league.
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