Rent Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

Guy Ritchie's Audacious Crime Film - Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels review by GI

This is the British Pulp Fiction (1994), it's clearly influenced by it and a shame that director Guy Ritchie didn't go on to emulate Quentin Tarantino because Lock, Stock... is his first and best film. Cleverly scripted, humorous, with fantastic quintessential cockney characters and some very nasty violence this film sits up there with the best of British gangster crime films such as Get Carter (1971), Mona Lisa (1986), The Long Good Friday (1980), Layer Cake (2004) and Sexy Beast (2000). The story of four cockney lads who are ripped off by a porn king gangster in a card game and end up owing him half a million pounds. With just a week to pay it back they come up with an audacious plan to steal from another gang but the plot has twists and turns and things don't go well. The film made a star of Jason Statham (who doesn't reveal his action hero credentials here but does show a flair for comedy) and features some unique British talent including Sting, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemyng, Vinnie Jones and Steven MacKintosh. Most memorable of course are the real life villains that Ritchie recruited into the cast most notably Lenny McLean, a notorious London character. This is a big favourite with many British film fans and it is a film that deserves repeated viewings.