They will open up like a fountain, full of words. Now if you can master a slap like that, there's no need for your clients to hold back. Come on, do it properly, with the back of the right hand. Sorry Arch, I was, I was just trying to use initiative. It's still funny, flashy and entertaining, and brings to mind a Woody Allen quote from Love and Death, "As empty experiences go, it's one of the best.Bandy, you ever ask a stupid question like that again, see Danny there? He's gonna slap you. THE BOTTOM LINE: Both comeback and throwback, Ritchie's RocknRolla compellingly lays out the new London's criminal foundation, but undermines the real-world themes with pretentious speeches about addiction and the rock lifestyle. Rocknrolla might be the most confident, but Snatch has a smidgen more humor and heart. ![]() the "Ayatollah of Rock-n-rolla."īETTER THAN RITCHIE'S OTHER FILMS? A qualified "no." Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch are nearly undistinguishable from RocknRolla as twisty, breakneck-paced crime stories with lots of attitude and little interest in characterization. The title could refer to The Road Warrior's bad guy, the Lord Humungous, a.k.a. An unstoppable Russian leaps onto a getaway car, driving knives through roof, reminiscent of Terminator 2. A fence watches stuffy British films such as The Remains of the Day in his car. ![]() POP REFERENCES: One Two and Mumbles belong to a crew called "The Wild Bunch," after the Sam Peckinpah movie. Ritchie dramatizes One Two and Stella's hook-up through a series of hilariously short close-ups of moaning faces, zippers and post-coital cigarettes. We see some kinky underwear, but little skin, at a posh party. There's a quick buffalo shot at the crooks' club. Ritchie memorably uses Lou Reed's "The Gun," Wanda Jackson's "Funnel of Love" and too many others to count.įLESH FACTOR: Ritchie seems much less interested in sex than drugs and rock 'n' roll. Quid lipsynchs to the Clash's "Bankrobber," inspiring a character-defining flashback. The Subways perform "Rock & Roll Queen" during the bouncer fight. MP3-TO-BE: As you'd expect from a film called RocknRolla, the soundtrack thrums with crunchy guitars. ![]() Not counting a torture scene involving some crayfish, the first major act of violence (Quid assaults a bouncer with a pencil) comes a full hour into the movie. WORST LINE: "For a marriage of convenience, this can be quite inconvenient," intones Stella, suggesting that elegant banter is not Ritchie's strong suit.īODY COUNT: No more than eight deaths, which is remarkably low for such a film. But you keep the receipts, 'cause this ain't the Mafia," instructs Archy in a prime example of director Guy Ritchie's slangy gangspeak. A stick-up includes a car crash, a brawl in a sporting goods store, and a chase on foot involving multiple parties.īEST LINE: "If the slaps don't work, you cut 'em or pay 'em. One Two and posh bad-girl accountant Stella (Thandie Newtown) dance with hilarious ineptitude. MONEY SHOTS: Narrator and right-hand man Archy ( Body of Lies's Mark Strong) demonstrates how to slap an underling. THE PITCH: Small-time crooks One Two ( 300's Gerard Butler) and Mumbles ("The Wire's" Idris Elba) get caught up in complex heists and double-crosses involving missing rock star Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell), crooked real estate fixer Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson) and a Russian kingpin's lucky painting.
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