Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Rating:
Summary: Hugely entertaining tongue-in-cheek gangster movie!
Review: "Reservoir Dogs" meets "Only Fools and Horses"? Whatever, I defy anyone not to enjoy this film! As the manic plot unfolds and the body count rises, there are laughs and thrills aplenty. The ex-Wimbledon footballer Vinnie Jones is authentically menacing as the ice-cold hit-man, but doting father (the scene where he turns the tables on the guy who'd threatened his son is probably the most chillingly violent in the film). And there's a nicely "poised" ending, faintly reminiscent of "The Italian Job". All in all great fun, but will you Americans understand those authentic sarf London accents?

Rating:
Summary: Wild, Violent and Funny
Review: Hopefully, Guy Ritchie will stop making movies with his wife and go back to what he is a master of: the British small-time crook flick. While not quite as clever as "Snatch," this movie is aprecurrsor of everything that made "Snatch" great: widely disparate small time crooks who somehow all become entangled with one another.

Some of the same actors, notably the great Jeremy Statham, who appear in "Snatch" are present here, to great effect.

The plot: four buddies suddenly find themselves owing a local gambler known as Hatchet Harry $500,000.00. To pay him back, they concoct a plot to rip off some crooks who plan to rip off the local pot growers. Basically, everyone is trying to rip everyone else off. Playing into this are two antique shotguns, which Hatchet Harry covets (they would be the two smoking barrels of the title) and the buddies come into possession of, totally oblivious to the fact that Harry wants the guns.

What develops is a throwback to the old screwball comedies of the thirties and forties (albeit a very violent throwback), where surprises await as different scenes are viewed from different points of view.

If you loved "Snatch," you will, at a minimum, like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." Watch for Sting is a small but important role as the father of one of buddies in trouble.

Rating:
Summary: a great movie
Review: this movie is very funny it is kind of like a funny British Pulp Fiction but the story goes in order. You have to love the tough British guy that all of these kind of movies have.

Rating:
Summary: No promises.
Review: Here is another "this isn't for everyone" movie. "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" is a stylish, contemporary production set in London's East End, a place known for its "difficulties." It was successful in the UK, and Americans ought to find the British twist on "Reservoir Dogs" inspired movies somewhat appealing. The film boasts imaginative camerawork, unpredictable turns (I rather liked the ending), and a great soundtrack. Most of the actors are unknowns with little feature-film experience, but they mostly do a good job; the rock star Sting plays a minor but acceptably performed role in the picture, as the father of one of the "heroes." (According to the "featurette" the movie employs "real villains," a revelation that doesn't seem very surprising.)

While this film isn't of the most original caliber, the young, up and coming artists managed to impart a distinguishable flavor that makes their effort worth viewing. The movie is comical, although one might say that it's more humorous than funny. It also contains some graphic violence -- a fact that caught me off-guard, as I expected the bloodshed to be implied. "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels would've been a better picture without the shocking effect of unnecessarily HEAVY on-screen bleeding. (I'm not averse to strong violence in movies, but it seemed so incongruous to the spirit of THIS work that it nearly put me off.) Nevertheless, if you like films such as "Trainspotting" or "Reservoir Dogs," you should enjoy this one...but that's not a promise.

The DVD picture quality is mediocre, but the sound is slightly better in comparison. The special features include a "featurette" that amounts to some brief interviews with the actors describing their characters in the production; an inclusion that's practically useless once you've seen the movie. There's an uncommon feature, "Cockney Rhyming Slang," that I found amusing and useful, it's a glossary of street lingo used in London. In all, I would say that this disc offers reasonable value for the money.

Rating:
Summary: Just Watch It
Review: I am going to keep this review short and sweet and focus only on what I feel must be mentioned. With that said, I thought this movie was fantastic! It was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time and it is also extremely fun to watch. You find yourself completely emersed in the goings on and can't help but get caught up in the creative, clever, altogether wacky story line unravelling before your eyes. Also, I loved the ending; in my opinion there really could not have been a much better way to end this movie.

I highly enjoyed this movie and I have recommended it to all my friends and many members of my family, and now ... I am recommmending it to you. Buy it, rent it - either way just make sure you watch this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Review: The characters are so well thought out, and the plot is great! While it revolves around the four main characters, there are many other characters with many other plot lines that all tie in nicely togather, and the score to the film goes perfectly with the film itself. The director, Guy Richie, ends the film at just the right time! The Ryming Cockny can be a little hard to understand sometimes, but it doesn't take away from the true genius of the film! I recommend it to anyone who needs a laugh, but not to people who hate to watch a movie with a lot of cussing in it.

Rating:
Summary: 'You Could Fall In Love With An Orangutan in That...'
Review: LS&2SB is a wonderful ride with some of London's lowest and meanest. There's card games, strippers, and lots of violence, so it appeals to the more hard-edged viewers. It also has some emotion and plenty of comedy for those who care about that sort of thing.

It follows the scams and troubles of three criminal friends as they try to navigate their way through London's criminal underground. Along the way, they encounter a cast of colourful characters and not so pleasant individuals. At times its a bit difficult to see how everything fits together, however, it all makes sense soon enough.

For those who have complained that the lingo in this movie is difficult to understand, you need to work on your Britspeak. The Cockney slang at times is hard but everything else sounds pretty good to me(but then again, I am British.)

Enjoy this quotable, highly unique movie again and again.

Rating:
Summary: Great Brit Pulp Fiction
Review: I was fortunate to have seen this film prior to it's American release in London where I was attending my brother's wedding in 1998. I was totally blown away by this high energy caper film. My first reaction was to compare Ritchie's style with that of Quentin Tarantino. On subsequent reflection,no, director Guy Ritchie with this film and the subsequent "Snatch" has a style all of his own. What impresses is the way Ritchie handles all of the storylines in this densely plotted story. He also does it in such a quick-cutting, high-energy style that you have to stop and catch your breath. Ritchie also gets the most out of a mostly unknown cast. Most impressive is Vinnie Jones, a former rugby player known for his agressive play on the field, as a formidable debt collector. It's a shame that the best he could do in American films was that lame remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds". My understanding is that Ritchie populated the film with alot of underworld types and that may account for the realism. Here's hoping that Ritchie gets back to his roots with his upcoming feature after the misfire that was "Swept Away".

Rating:
Summary: An absolute quote machine if ever there was one
Review: This is the first movie I ever memerized. I can recite the whole script. This (and Snatch) is one of those movies that have a quote every other line that can be applied to everyday life. When you're watching something on TV and someone says something that you don't care about and you turn to them and say: "what? and I care?" Or someone says "what are we supposed to do with these?" to which you reply "You put them on your head, stupid". I failed maths this year because we used to sit there quoting this excellent movie endlessly.
If you want a movie that has enormous replay value and a high quote factor then this is for you. There is one more thing......it's been emotional.

Rating:
Summary: unique!
Review: Halfway through this movie there is a scene (which I won't describe) where I remember thinking, "this movie plot is AMAZING" and I didn't want it to end.

I can think of about 5 movies that I've ever seen that gave me a similar feeling.