Two Smoking Barrels,
Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels: Directors Cut
A disgrace to criminals everywhere
Rating: 8/10
Running Time: 126 minutes
UK Certificate: 18
On DVD
Before the world and his brother started making pseudo-Tarantino romps about Cockney scamps brandishing guns and dealing drugs, Lock, Stock was something of a guiding light in British cinema. It redefined a genre a genre that, just a few years later, has already grown weary and horrendously over-played. This one continues to stand head, shoulders and torso above its many imitators, and Im willing to bet it always will.
A gigantic cast of likely lad-types, from ball-grabber Vinnie Jones to tree-hugger Sting, take part in this funny, violent and at times ridiculously complex East London run-around. Nick Moran is the young rapscallion who runs up a half-million pound debt swimming with the sharks on the card table. Frank Harper plays the next door neighbour planning to rip-off the local big-time drug-dealer. Steven Mackintosh is that drug-dealer. And P.H. Moriarty is the Hatchet who wants his money back.
Around these characters and many, many more forms a story relying heavily on coincidences, contrivances, and complications to reach an end point where youll more than likely have a couple of questions that need answering. If thats the case then dont worry about it too much, because it probably requires at least three viewings to get the most out of it: one to grasp the dialogue, one to attempt to fathom whats going on, and one to tie it all together. Not too much to ask, is it?
Theres little doubting that once youve manoeuvred your way around all of those stumbling blocks, theres an extremely not bad film waiting to be discovered. The acting is above average, there are some genuinely memorable set-pieces, and its all under-pinned by some great biting wit.
On the downside, director Guy Ritchies excessive use of such techniques as freeze-framing would have left me wondering whether my DVD player was broken, had I not already seen it in the cinema (on that occasion, I thought it was the theatres projector that was faulty). More than anything, Ritchies obsession with stylistics proves an unnecessary distraction from a film thats tough enough to get to grips with as it is. It also starts off heavy in narration, only to abandon it almost completely as the film progresses (one of my pet hates).
But provided youre able to keep up with everything thats going on (a challenge in itself), then you should find it all good fun. Lovely-jubbly.
It's Got: Blood, swearies and Cat from Red Dwarf (or Danny John-Jules as his passport knows him).
It Needs: Mike Reid.
DVD Extras Some out-takes and a trailer. DVD Extras Rating: 2/10
Summary
Complex, comical, and streets ahead of the rip-off merchants, this is one of the most influential Brit-flicks of the 90s.