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.
RocknRolla (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:135
Fresh:80
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.
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.
Reviews for RocknRolla
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Guy Ritchie’s latest is not as bad as his critics, professional and amateur, hoped.
RocknRolla is a return to form for Ritchie and an enjoyable, well made crime caper that should delight fans of Lock, Stock and Snatch.
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?
The style and energy, plus the terrifically memorable characters, make it mindlessly good fun.
Rocknrolla may not be the real thing…but it's the closest Ritchie's been in an age.
You can say this much for Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla: it isn't as bad as his last two films.
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.
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