After making Swepted Away and Revolver Guy Ritchie's career hit the rocks and his reputation ruined. Luckily for him he returned to what he was best at and took a back to basic approach.
The film is a gangster story set in London. It tells of One-Two (Gerald Butler), who has a small crew, Mumbles (Idris Elba) and Handsome Bob (Tom Hardy). One-Two at the beginning of the film and ends up entering into a dodgy property deal where he owns money to Lenny (Tom Wilkingson), a major London gangster. Lenny basically tricks One-Two so that he could get the property and bribe the London council to let him build up the property and take all the profits. Lenny seeks to make a major deal with a Russian billionaire who owns a football club (I wonder who he is meant to be based on). The billionaire seeks to make a new concert hall very quickly, and wants to use Lenny's contacts to make sure that planning permission is granted. Lenny wants 7 Million Euros so he can do it. The billionaire has a dodgy accountant Stella (Thandie Newton), who asks One-Two to rob the Euros and takes a nice slice of the profits. At the same time the Russian also loans Lenny his lucky painting as a symbol of truth and as a thank you. Unforuately this painting is stolen by Lenny's rock star step-son Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell). As the film goes on all these story lines become interlinked.
Ritchie goes back to the types of films that made his name, which shows that he is really a one trick pony. This film felt a little be like a best of Ritchie. I felt that some of the sub-plot felt a bit tacked on, especially the part involving Johnny Quid and at times characters completely disappeared. The problem with Guy Ritchie is he thinks he is smarter then he really is and wants to be clever with his script. But at least for Ritchie he is in safe territory. Another problem is Ritchie is a mockney, a wannabe cockney, the kind of person most people look down on. However, there are positives. Most of the story does work, and some of the comedy is good. Fans of the original two Guy Ritchie film will love it for that. There is also a very good cast in the film. Tom Wilkington was the best as Lenny, the leading gangster, but most of the other actors gave very good performances. Butler and Newton are a very good actors. There were also fine set-pieces, especially the second raid against the Russians, and has a good comical fight in a sports shop. But at time it did feel like Ritchie took a style over substances approach. There is also an excellent soundtrack to the film, which is never a bad thing. If you are a rock fan you would enjoy it.
I personally feel that Ritchie could have cut some times from the plot and it would have made a better film. But there are good performances, and some fun bits and if you are a Guy Ritchie film would will enjoy this flick. A decent attempt.
The film is a gangster story set in London. It tells of One-Two (Gerald Butler), who has a small crew, Mumbles (Idris Elba) and Handsome Bob (Tom Hardy). One-Two at the beginning of the film and ends up entering into a dodgy property deal where he owns money to Lenny (Tom Wilkingson), a major London gangster. Lenny basically tricks One-Two so that he could get the property and bribe the London council to let him build up the property and take all the profits. Lenny seeks to make a major deal with a Russian billionaire who owns a football club (I wonder who he is meant to be based on). The billionaire seeks to make a new concert hall very quickly, and wants to use Lenny's contacts to make sure that planning permission is granted. Lenny wants 7 Million Euros so he can do it. The billionaire has a dodgy accountant Stella (Thandie Newton), who asks One-Two to rob the Euros and takes a nice slice of the profits. At the same time the Russian also loans Lenny his lucky painting as a symbol of truth and as a thank you. Unforuately this painting is stolen by Lenny's rock star step-son Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell). As the film goes on all these story lines become interlinked.
Ritchie goes back to the types of films that made his name, which shows that he is really a one trick pony. This film felt a little be like a best of Ritchie. I felt that some of the sub-plot felt a bit tacked on, especially the part involving Johnny Quid and at times characters completely disappeared. The problem with Guy Ritchie is he thinks he is smarter then he really is and wants to be clever with his script. But at least for Ritchie he is in safe territory. Another problem is Ritchie is a mockney, a wannabe cockney, the kind of person most people look down on. However, there are positives. Most of the story does work, and some of the comedy is good. Fans of the original two Guy Ritchie film will love it for that. There is also a very good cast in the film. Tom Wilkington was the best as Lenny, the leading gangster, but most of the other actors gave very good performances. Butler and Newton are a very good actors. There were also fine set-pieces, especially the second raid against the Russians, and has a good comical fight in a sports shop. But at time it did feel like Ritchie took a style over substances approach. There is also an excellent soundtrack to the film, which is never a bad thing. If you are a rock fan you would enjoy it.
I personally feel that Ritchie could have cut some times from the plot and it would have made a better film. But there are good performances, and some fun bits and if you are a Guy Ritchie film would will enjoy this flick. A decent attempt.