Rating: 
Summary: Guy Ritchie makes an amazing debut !!!
Review: It's hard to believe this was Guy Ritchie's first film. A cavalcade of characters with intertwining plot twists and laced with dark humour and a cockney accent to boot. The accent ofcourse adds to the atmosphere of the film ... East London, Drugs, Punk rock and of course the quirky characters thrown into the mix, partly because of the circumstances and mostly because of their stupidity.
A permanently stoned set of ganja cultivators, two dumb robbers, 'Nick' the pawnbroker, Rory Breaker "madman" with an afro gang, and a ruthless band of drug dealers and you have an absolutely original movie called Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
"Eddy" and his gang rustle up a 100 grand which would allow them to play a game of poker with the local high stakes player ... he reckons his chances are good as he is very good at cards and reading people's reactions.
"Bacon" part of Eddy's gang hustles stolen goods selling them out of his suitcase on a street corner.
"Soap" the chef also helps finance the gang's plans and also likes to keep his hands clean.
"Tom" Entrepreneur among the 4 friend gang of thieves who gets attached to the antique guns later in the movie.
"Dog" a ruthless gangster who steals from other drug dealers is also a neighbour of "Eddy" and his gang.
"Plank" part of the "Dog" gang who masterminds the caper to rob the "ganja growers" of their shoe boxes full of money and their weed.
"Nick the greek " - The pawnbroker who deals with Eddy's gang, Rory Breaker and the dumb thieves.
"Rory breaker" - A ruthless drug dealer
"Big Chris" a debt collector for Hatchet Harry who also takes his son along everywhere
"Hatchet Harry Porn King" - A compulsive high stakes gambler who doesn't take "No" for an answer. Loses his bar to Sting in a game of poker and wants it back at all costs.
"Barry the baptist" - Runs the business smoothly for Hatchet Harry by taking care of minor details like people who stand in his way.
Harry the Hatchet rigs a game of Poker he is playing with Eddy and gives him a week to pay off his debt of 500 grand or he and each member of his gang will lose a finger for every day that passes after the deadline and eventually his DAD's bar. What happens after this makes up for a very watchable film full of amazing twists and turns. The innovative camerawork, the sepia toned film and the amazing soundtrack complement this film splendidly giving birth to a whole new style of film making. This is a must-have for DVD collectors and even first time watchers of the film.
Guy Ritchie shows a lot of promise and we expect his future contributions to surpass this one.
Rating: 
Summary: stylish violent and comical
Review: Guy Ritchie has great visual style anyone who is a film student will appreciate the look and feel of this film. I'm not normally a fan of slow motion, especially John Woo's use of it in his movies. However, ritchie uses it perfectly in his gambling scenes. The scenes come off as stylish slick and hip. Another great bit of camera work is the scene where the lead character looses the poker game. The camera is used to great effect to convey his shock. Aside from the great camera work this movie has a great script. The story itself is pretty ridiculous. The amazing thing is that Richie pulls it all off quiet convincingly. whether yor a film buff or not you owe it too yourself to watch this movie. The DVD is great. The sound was 4.5 stars and the picture quality is 3.5. My only complaint would be that there wasn't more supplemental material. However, this is a minor point, because there is a small featurette and very quick bits on the actors. The feature on how to speak cockney is usefull in understanding the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous filmmaking, great pacing, fun story
Review: This story was great. It had action, comedy, plot, style, and was just interesting. Essentially it's the story of luck, good and bad, spread out through a number of interesting characters. The storytelling is done in a non-linear way which makes it so things unfold to you kind of as they're unfolding for the characters. The story is basically a heist story with about 100 twists mixed in, as well as some cockney-slang and great characterization. This was a great intro film for Guy Ritchie and is on par with his more well-known "Snatch," if not a better movie. If you liked Snatch, you'll definitely like this movie.
Rating:
Summary: A fresh, sharp, fast-paced crime thriller
Review: When "Pulp Fiction" came out, it sent giant waves through pop culture. Suddenly, everyone wanted to emulate Quentin Tarantino's dialogue, direction, worldview and characters. A score of poorly conceived knockoffs flooded the marketplace. Happily, "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" isn't one of them. Although it dwells in the shadow of "Pulp Fiction," Guy Ritchie's film is a work that stands on its own, without a single snickering reference to Tarantino's work. Only the age of the cast and the director form the basis for any real comparisons. Ritchie's film has more heart, no particular interest in popular culture, is even more of a character study and, at its heart, is intensely English. The trouble begins when four friends pool a substantial sum (100,000 pounds) to get their cardshark friend into a high stakes poker game. Unfortunately, the mobster wants the bar owned by the cardshark's father (wonderfully portrayed by Sting, in a performance fans of his hard-nosed Police days will cheer), and rigs the game. Suddenly, the boys have to come up with half a million pounds in a week, or lose digits off their hands as well as the bar. Living in a shady area of London's East End, opportunities for a criminal enterprise present themselves, and suddenly we're off, peeking into the world of one criminal after another, all of whom seem set to rob, beat or kill one another, and all of whom are more enmesshed in each others' business than they realize. The extended climax throws around more bullets than "Pulp Fiction" and "The Wild Bunch" combined, and somehow, out of all the chaos and bloodshed, manages to find real humor and a surprising sweetness even in the most hardened of mobsters. Strongly recommended for fans of crime movies including, yes, Quentin Tarantino's works.
Rating:
Summary: Great Thrill Ride
Review: When Ed loses a fixed card game to Harry "Hatchet" Lonsdale, he and his friends need to come up with half a million pounds to stay alive. L0CK, ST0CK, AND TW0 SM0KING BARRELS is an exciting ride through the rough streets of London. Ed, Soap, Bacon, and Tom have only a week to come up with the money so they devise a plan to rob the thieves next-door that are going to steal money from some drug dealers. This plan seems brilliant and nearly foolproof, but, of course, something will go wrong. Another twist is thrown in when Tom obtains two rare shotguns that are stolen for Harry. Things seem disastrous for the four boys when the week is up and their neighbors, Harry, as well as the drug dealers are after them. This movie is a funny and clever thrill ride that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat until the very end. The storyline, at first, seems to be four or five separate stories, but they tie-in nicely as the film progresses. The cinematography is unique; it gives the viewer a better feeling of the life in London and makes the viewer feel as if they are a part of the action. With great action and comedic dialogue this movie is definitely worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: "I HATE TRAFFIC WARDENS"
Review: I hate traffic wardens, but I love this movie! LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS is graced with many hilarious and multi-dimensional characters and is lucky enough to have actors that accurately bring them to life. This film from Guy Ritchie, much like the film that would follow it, SNATCH, is about many different characters with different motives tied into one twisted, comic, and even more complicated stroyline. This film can be quite funny if you understand it, but beware of getting lost. Most every line in this film has some significance to the plot, and if that weren't enough, you have to understand it with the thick accents. So, pay close attention to what the characters are trying to say and you will most likely enjoy yourself. If you do do your best at paying attention to every line, and you end up not enjoying the film, then you probably missed something, or you didn't miss anything and your cold and have no sense of humor. Guy Ritchie directs with his own unique style and uses many interesting techniques to tell this energetic and fast-paced action comedy. If you enjoy this film, then you will definitely enjoy SNATCH, Ritchie's follow-up (not a sequel). But back to LOCK STOCK, if you like comedy, action, suspense, more comedy, and energy to wrap it all up, along with a great soundtrack, then I strongly recommend LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS. Enjoy the cockneyrhyming slang.
'
Rating:
Summary: British pulp fiction
Review: Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels is a fantastic british crime drama that has more the disposition of a black comedy than anything else. in the Tradition of quinton tarintino films, this movie is stylish and compelling. With a character driven story and a long convoluted plot. The story follows a group of small time thieves who get way into deep in a game of cards. This sets of an INSANE chain reaction of events, all centered somehow around 2 antique shotguns worth a half million pounds - of course no one knows how much they're worth!! This is one of the most ironic movies of it's type you'll find. The way all the shiesty characters are brought together in the film is brilliant and entertaining. You've got crosses and double crosses and triple crosses, and in the climax you have the stage set for a major disaster as everyone is killing everyone else, with thanks to great confusion and mistaken identity. The actual plot twists turns are far too complex to go over in this review just suffiuce it to say that you'll be watching the movie laughing to yourself at the unbelievable turns of fate that unfold on the screen. The wild web of relationships between the characters is simply hilarious. There are chracters working for people they dont even know they are working for who end up killing their own boss unkowingly in the confusion. The camera style is excellent and the english flair is a nice component to the overall feel of the movie in comparison to typical american crime culture flicks. This is a must see for fans of resevoir dogs, pulp fiction, jackie brown, playing god, good fellas, or any similar movie. this is just one of those movies you'll have to sit down and watch in order to see what all the full is about. Very well written and well directed, Lock stock and two smoking barrels is an enjoyable experience all around.
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: AWESOME!!!!
Review: I loved Jason Stratham in this movie. This is his first movie which makes it very cool. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU PURCHASE!! don't rent it first, just buy it you won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: If you liked Snatch you will love L,S & 2 Smoking barrels. A brilliant movie, as good if not better than Snatch!
|
