Two Smoking barrels + Layer Cake.

[Neville]

Week of the british thrillers in my home...

Two smoking barrels (1998)

Alright, these Guy Ritchie movies keep on coming but I still don't like them at all. I saw "Snatch" a few years ago on DVD after it was released (and panned) and found it to be absolutely terrible, but at least it was entertainning. Then came "Swept away" (which I didn't see and don't plan to) and the upcoming "Revolver", which is getting some of the worst remarks I've ever heard for a movie that still has to be released worldwide.

I wanted to know once and for all if Ritchie was talented, or, as i suspected, a poor devil who had happenned to make the type of noir people wanted to see at the moment and then, after the trend had finished, had found himself like a fish out of the water. The best way was to rent his first (and still best regarded) film, "Two smoking barrels". And the result has confirmed my worse fears: Ritchie is absolutely talentless. "Two barrels" follows the exploits of four friends that find themselves in debt with a small time mafioso after a poker game. Of course, that wouldn't be enough for Ritchie, so he also tells us about the mafiosos's bussiness. And then he adds another couple of characters, a hitman and his sons. And two stupid robbers. And four marijuana farmers. And the father of one of the debtors. And a policeman who finds himslef in the worst place and time possible.

You get the picture, right? Rather than explaining a story the proper way Ritchie tries to disguise his inanity keeping the film and the viewers busy, introducing new characters and twists every minute. And tick also the spaces for foul language and "funny" violence, because Ritchie is unable both to write dialogue (the characters' tirades are simply awful) or make violence uncomfortable.

Layer Cake (2005)

Rather than watching Sienna Miller in anything different from the tabloids or producer Matthew Vaughn (Snatch, Two smoking barrels) sitting in the director's chair, what make me watch these movie was Daniel Craig. Craig, a complete unknown for me, hit the jackpot a few weeks ago when he was confirmed to play James Bond in the next Bond film, "Casino Royale".

Layer Cake's blueprints won't be much of a surprise for those familiar with Ritchie's work, since it also adapts a variation of the noir (a tale of rise and fall) to the British audiences and with British characters. We also have a coral story that interlaces many small different related stories and a handful of familiar faces, such as Michael Gambon and Colm Meaney, where betrayal and violence erupt constantly.

The difference is that here it works. Matthew Vaughn proves to be much clever than his protegé Ritchie and bases his film on steady ground. The story, for instance, is adapted from a novel, which allows for a more solid structure and characters, and he happens to take what happens to the characters quie seriously. "Funny" violence is happily absent, and the occasional directorial flourishes don't disrupt the storytelling. Dialogue, I imagine inherited from the source novel, is sharp and occasionally clever, and violence is kept both at a minimum and at reasonable level.

And Daniel Craig is nothing short of fantastic. The only character in the movie who may have a future outside criminality, Craig keeps his character in a low profile, while conveying a handful of emotions and attitudes through minimal expresivity. He is perfect, as simple as it is, showing his relative naivety when he has to, showing determination, fear or anger in the exact doses whenever the situation requires it. Hell, if the Bond producers want a more realistic Bond, they have picked the perfect man for the job.  

[Mr_Vindictive]

Neville,

Spot on review of Layer Cake.  I rented it not expecting much more than a rehash of Ritchie territory, but it's a solid film, with a great story/acting.  Daniel Craig is absolutely fantastic as the unnamed hero, and the various other actors in the film do a superb job including the actor who plays The Duke.

[Mofo Rising]

I'm in almost complete disagreement with you about LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS.  I enjoyed the hell out of it when it first came out, and I still enjoy it now.  However, I can see how others may not like it.  If you don't like the "lads about town" tone of the movie, you're probably going to hate it.  I, however, thought it had a wit and energy that was missing from other films of the time.  It's a smart movie about stupid people.  It's also a "pulp" movie, in the Tarantino vein, in that reality is almost completely subtracted from the mix.

LAYER CAKE I enjoyed immensely.  You're right that it is similar in theme and structure to LSATSB, but while LSATSB (I hate acronyming movies) is jocular, LAYER CAKE is serious.  That gives the film a much more menacing air.

Who knows about Guy Ritchie?  SNATCH was a let down for me.  I still liked it a lot, but it's the exact same movie as LSATSB.  I haven't seen SWEPT AWAY, and Ritchie's pretty much fallen off my radar.  I sure wouldn't say he is completely talentless though.  Rather Ritchie has one talent: making multicharactered crime movies with quick-cut editing and strong soundtracks.

Then again, these types of crime novels are probably pretty easy to write.  Elmore Leonard's made a career of it, and even Dave Barry fired off a pretty good one with BIG TROUBLE.

I'd recommend all of the above films.  (Not so much the movie made of BIG TROUBLE.)

[dean]

Haven't seen Layer Cake but really want to.

As for Guy Ritchie, I have to say I'd never have expected Lock Stock or Snatch to be equated with a noir film at all.

Yes Snatch and Lock Stock are pretty much the same film, but I enjoyed them both [and both have a great soundtrack]  I did like the editing, the characters weren't horrible, and as a piece of entertainment it's good, though I do admit they're not perfect.

I have this great book on British cult movies called 'Your Face Here' which has a section on Lock Stock which is pretty interesting.

Basically they say 'yes Ritchie is a bit of a twat, but the film does deserve recognition as a cult movie'  They also make fun of the fact that he's a wannabe hardman.  

I particularly liked one comment, about real gangsters being in films, in which someone said that 'Acting's a form of lying, isn't it?  You put a camera in front of criminals and they're normally pretty good: They should be, they've spent years standing in court telling lies to their prison officers.'

The book's a good read as well, featuring films like Trainspotting, Get Carter, Blow Up, Wicker Man and A Clockwork Orange, among others.

[nobody]

I have "Layer Cake" on my list of movies to rent. I'm looking forward to picking it up eventually.

As for Richie, I saw "Snatch" first (in the theater) and loved it. I watched "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (at home) soon after. It was very clear that "Snatch" was the movie Richie originally wanted to make, and LSATSB was just his first failed attempt at doing so. The only memorable part of LSATSB was the dildo scam. I thought that was a funny idea, but overall, LSATSB is easily a movie you can pass on watching.

I didn't know Richie was working on a new movie. I hope, for his sake, that it's nothing like "Snatch", or people are going to peg him as a one-trick-pony.

[Ash]

Snatch: Thumbs Up

Layer Cake:  Haven't seen it.

Two Smoking Barrels: Thumbs up

So far, both films by Ritchie have impressed me.
Haven't seen any of his other work.