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RocknRolla

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RocknRolla (2008)

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Reviews Counted: 134

Fresh: 79

Rotten:55

Average Rating: 5.9/10

Consensus: Mixed reviews for Guy Ritchie's return to his London-based cockney wideboy gangster movie roots, but most agree, it's a step in the right direction following two major turkeys.

Rated: 15

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:05-09-2008

Synopsis: Guy Ritchie returns to form with this cockney crime caper starring Gerard Butler and Tom Wilkinson. Lenny Cole (Wilkinson) is a bungling London crime boss who calls the shots in London's... Guy Ritchie returns to form with this cockney crime caper starring Gerard Butler and Tom Wilkinson. Lenny Cole (Wilkinson) is a bungling London crime boss who calls the shots in London's underworld. We learn all about Lenny from Archie (Mark Strong)--his second in command--who serves as the film's sly narrator. When a wealthy Russian property dealer by the name of Uri (Karel Roden) looks to Lenny for help on a major new deal, Lenny is eager to assist (for a very large fee, of course). Uri agrees to pay, and as a show of faith, he insists that Lenny borrow his "lucky painting." Uri then asks his accountant, Stella (Thandie Newton), to transfer the money to Lenny, but things quickly go awry when two crooks known as Mumbles (Idris Elba) and One Two (Butler) intercept the money before it reaches him. To make matters worse, the lucky painting has mysteriously been stolen, and the number one suspect is a crack-addicted pop star, Johnny Quid, who is presumed dead. Violent hijinks ensue as Lenny desperately tries to locate the painting, Uri calls in some sadistic thugs to recover his money, and Johnny Quid suddenly resurfaces. Men are battered with golf clubs, fed to crawfish, and attacked with machetes, and a surprise twist ending neatly ties up the whole bloody mess. Fans of Ritchie will likely be very pleased to see him return to his SNATCH-style of filmmaking. ROCKNROLLA has the same frenetic, humorous edge as the film that made him famous, though critics might complain that this particular style is starting to look a little dusty. Regardless, ROCKNROLLA features many fine performances, and once you get past the rather slow beginning, it kicks off into an entertaining and amusing romp. [More]

Starring: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven

Starring: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Toby Kebbell

Director: Guy Ritchie

Director: Guy Ritchie
Screenwriter: Guy Ritchie
Producer: Joel Silver, Guy Ritchie, Susan Downey, Steve Clark-Hall
Composer: Steve Isles
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for RocknRolla

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

It's a step back to basics and an assured return to form for Ritchie, leaving the viewer marvelling afresh about how a director this confident could have produced Swept Away and Revolver.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/18/08
Fionnuala Halligan
Screen International

RocknRolla did not leave me wanting more (the last shot promises a sequel is on its way). Still, its confidence is impressive. London’s property bubble may have burst but Ritchie’s career is definitely on the rise.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
09/05/08
Charlotte O'Sullivan
This is London

His fortitude under critical flak is admirable, and his self-confidence unbelievable, but RocknRolla is the same old shaggy-dog story with a slightly different variety fleas.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
09/05/08
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Guy Ritchie’s latest is not as bad as his critics, professional and amateur, hoped.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
09/05/08
Martin Hoyle
Financial Times

These infrequent moments of genius only confirm what The Sneak has believed for a while — that Guy should stop writing scripts and start directing other people’s movies.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
09/05/08
Sun Online

RocknRolla is two hours of more of the same, accompanied by the usual soundtrack of mockney accents and gunfire. Listen closely and you may also hear the sound of time being called.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
09/05/08
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

This is Guy Ritchie's third turkey in a row, after Swept Away and Revolver. It is a pitiful attempt to recapture the success of his first two movies, Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
09/05/08
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

Forget the tabloids – this cocksure caper shows Ritchie is much more than Mr Madonna, while Butler and Kebbell have talent to burn. Punchy, funny, criminal entertainment.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment 2 Comments
09/05/08
Nev Pierce
Total Film

Rocknrolla may not be the real thing…but it's the closest Ritchie's been in an age.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
09/05/08
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

He's hardly re-inventing the wheel with this movie, but RocknRolla is nonetheless a comedy thriller that is every bit as accomplished as his early work, and without doubt an witty, adrenalin-fuelled blast from start to finish.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies UK | comment Comment
09/05/08
Chris Tilly
IGN Movies UK

You can say this much for Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla: it isn't as bad as his last two films.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
09/05/08
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I mean, Mr Ritchie: this genra: it's ova. I mean, doing yet anotha stinka of a drama about the mee-lee-a of the ersatz London gangsta? You're taking the piss - intcha?

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
09/05/08
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Ritchie has crammed RocknRolla with innumerable homoerotic lads’-mag jokes. He has probably calculated that if the film fails on the high street, he could feasibly relaunch it as late-night gay cabaret.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
09/05/08
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Wading through this stuff is akin to peeping through one's fingers at a retired, punch-drunk boxer climbing into the ring, or a recidivist junkie ripping out their naltrexone implants.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/05/08
Ali Catterall
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Ritchie’s film is arguably his most entertaining to date. With its cheeky wit, non-PC provocations, cock-eyed class-consciousness and cheerful irreverence it could be the closest thing to Ealing comedy we’re offered these days.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 1 Comment
09/05/08
Wally Hammond
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

RocknRolla is a return to form for Ritchie and an enjoyable, well made crime caper that should delight fans of Lock, Stock and Snatch.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
09/04/08
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The style and energy, plus the terrifically memorable characters, make it mindlessly good fun.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
09/04/08
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Guy Ritchie's black farce comes with the usual swagger and crazy voltage. The years have now given him coherence, and made him a lot smarter. His IQ has gone up.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
09/04/08
Victor Olliver
Teletext

'RocknRolla' takes more left turns than imaginable. It might make sense in the mind of Guy Ritchie, but to the rest of the universe, I can not imagine the film will translate.

Full Review Source: BET.com | comment Comment
07/03/09
Clay Cane
BET.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Latest News for RocknRolla

January 27, 2009: Milk Among GLAAD Nominees Opens in new window
"Milk" has been a favorite on the awards circuit this year, and its hot streak has been extended courtesy of the GLAAD Media Awards, where it will compete in the Outstanding... More...

January 26, 2009: RT on DVD: RocknRolla, Mary Poppins, and Zodiac and Bourne Hit Blu-ray
The year is beginning to get good for home video enthusiasts, with a band of notable new titles and Blu-ray releases to get your itchy fingers twitching. Add Guy Ritchie's... More...

January 17, 2009: Ritchie's latest homoerotic guy bonding homicidal spree, might be termed a London mafia musical fueled by global capitalism's shaky economic indicators, going toe to toe with the underground urban economy's crimelords in cutthroat competition. Literally. Opens in new window
More...

January 17, 2009: Ritchie's latest homoerotic guy bonding homicidal spree, might be termed a London mafia musical fueled by global capitalism's shaky economic indicators, going toe to toe with the underground urban economy's crimelords in cutthroat competition. Literally. Opens in new window
More...

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