Genres

Visitors Review

Andy Croft 2012-05-22 07:00:04

Bad Bad and Worse than that !

I cant believe this movie. I am writing this review as Iam watchingthis very un gripping movie. If I did not know better I would not saythis is a Guy Richie movie but a student rip off of a Richie stylemovie. I was really looking forward to this film being released and Iam so disappointed that it makes me cringe. I love Lock Stock, Snatchand Layer Cake and put them all in my all time favorites which makesthe disappointment doubled. You have to see it to make your own opinionand reading the mixed views on this site makes me question my judgmentso I will force myself to watch it again on the chance I will change myinitial interpreting of it.

Timothy 2012-05-21 20:55:58

Much better than I expected

RocknRolla was much better than I expected. It moves very quickly and has many funny scenes and much humorous dialogue. Very well written, great acting and directing.

Joe 2012-05-19 23:16:28

Another good bloke-ish British gangster movie; enjoyable...

Guy Ritchie has been in the news in the UK more for his personal lifethan for his movies, and his latest (Rock n rolla) has been overlookedby many. Not a bad film by any means, it follows a similar pattern ashis previous gangster movies where multiple characters with multiplestory lines are threading together with bloke-ish humour, action,violence and confusion to wrap up all tidily enough at the end.Basic story is that of a major UK crimeboss (who denies the tag)looking to seal a major deal with a dodgey Russian oligarch. Add in agift of a prize painting that goes missing, then stolen bags of $7m, asexy accountant (Thandie Newton) and you have yourself a story. Tocomplicate things is the junkie rockstar stepson of the UK crimeboss(hence the Rock n Rolla title) and you have your adventure.Many might pan the film, as some seem to do with just anything GuyRitchie releases, but the truth is that this is a good film. The humouris excellent whilst the ensemble actors are generally quite well pickedfor their roles. Gerard Butler in particular excels in his role as aminor gangster, whilst Thandie Newton seems to fit in wonderfully in afilm you wouldn't expect her to be necessarily suited for (and appearsto be having a lot of fun in the bargain).A good soundtrack, some good direction and you have a good film. Whatlets it all down though is that the storyline can be confusing and canget bogged down too much. For much of the film, you are just waitingand waiting for it all to move on, partly this is due to the multiplestory lines slowing it all down.Regardless, its enjoyable enough for the genre. Could have been better,but a good film and if nothing else you'll likely enjoy the humour atleast.

Roger Moore 2012-05-19 09:38:29

RocknRolla reminds us of how cool Ritchie was before Madonna doused his fire. Pity he makes us wait so long.

Chad Hatley 2012-05-17 22:46:50

Dark Castle Entertainment?

I thought Dark Castle Entertainment's sole purpose was to remake HarryCastle's horror film library. What happened to that?? I'd planned toavidly buy every DVD their studio put out until I saw this. I'm nothinting it's not going to be a good movie. But c'mon . . Dark Castle??This is like a bad break-up. So much for my Dark Castle collection.Just another stab at the death of horror films. How did we go fromHouse on Haunted Hill (one of the greatest horror films of all time) toRocknRolla? Were they just not making enough money with their last fewreleases? C'mon! We need more ballsy studio efforts giving life supportto the dying horror genre. Not all these teeny bopper PG-13 effortswith the cast of Dawson's Creek. I was a child in the 80's, back whenyou couldn't turn around without bumping into a Freddy or Jason poster.Horror was everywhere! I finally get old enough to see Rated R moviesin the theater and horror is all CG and Independence Day style. NowDark Castle is selling out. This sucks! When I graduate film school I'mgoing to set this right. Help is on the way!

Anders Wotzke 2012-05-17 13:54:25

An over-long mish-mash of scarcely linked sub-plots...

Ethan Alter 2012-05-14 20:12:32

Ritchie's main interest is trying to reignite his stalled career by cribbing shamelessly from Tarantino, Danny Boyle and many other far more talented filmmakers.

Robert W. Butler 2012-05-14 07:11:56

There are some moments of humor and action, but few of the players are on screen long enough to establish a genuine character. This movie is like a kid with attention deficit disorder.

2012-05-09 22:12:14

Blu-Ray Review

I liked Revolver a lot better. This one was kind of boring. Blu-ray quality is fine.

2012-05-09 08:12:07

Bad rehash of Lock Stock.

Seeing the fact that this movie is by Guy Ritchie (always anentertainer) and has received largely positive response from others, Iwould say I am very disappointed. This movie is nothing but a cheaprehash of the brilliant Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Right downto the idea of a novelty item being much sought after and exchanginghands in the most strange circumstances. The characters are ratherpoorly drawn and the gay angle just doesn't fit in anyplace. GerardButler is grossly underused.The film does pick itself up late in the second half, and the twists atthe end give the film some credibility despite its first failings.

sergepesic 2012-05-09 08:04:34

Masterful ease

I know, I know. we'll seen it all many times before, but darn it, itstill works. Guy Ritchie singlehandedly reinvented the gangster genrewith an original, goofy, sarcastic, his own style. Fantastic camerawork, sparkly, witty dialog, and as usual a cast of brilliant, mostlyBritish actors. What else do you need? Critics don't know what to dowith Guy Ritchie. He is hard to pin down and put a tidy label on. He isneither here nor there. That confuses people. I think his masterfulease and ironic smirk make him stand apart among many of today'sdirectors. And, of course he is having so much fun in a process.Goodfor him.

The_Movie_Cat 2012-05-09 05:48:47

Probably Ritchie's most successful movie to date...

... the lukewarm reviews of RocknRolla probably have less to do withthe picture's worth in and of itself, and more to do with the fact thatwe've seen it at least twice before.Okay, Revolver tried to intellectualise the format and we can forgetthat terrible film he did with his wife, so RocknRolla is really Lock,Stock... 3. The major difference being the writing and directing arenow a bit tighter and less self-conscious, and the acting is better.Some of the guys involved won't win any awards for thesping, but thedays when we'd get cameos from ex-professional footballers now seemlong gone. Sure, like all of Ritchie's gangster output it's The LongGood Friday for the Shebet Dib Dab generation, but on those terms itworks admirably. No classic, but none of Ritchie's work is.... just funpopcorn entertainment that requires little from the audience except tosit and watch.

2012-05-06 08:01:39

It's fun - enjoy it!

This review is from: RocknRolla (Single-Disc Edition) (DVD) This is a stylish, fun and funny gangster romp that's easy to follow if you watch the film and don't worry about where it's going til it gets there. Tom Wilkinson is a classic old-school "you'll do it cause I say so or you're done" kind of thug. But he finds himself up against foreign crime lords who can buy and sell him ten times over and have a corporate mindset on minimizing problems. Mix into this contest a crew of low-level British good-ole-boys (Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy) with their own agenda and set of complications, messing up the big boys' deal,egged on by a sexy thrill-seeking accountant (Thandie Newton), and disaster for somebody is sure to follow.This basic story is jazzed up by fancy editing and jazzy music and is just fun to sit back and enjoy. A particularly long chase sequence is worth the price of admission and a clever sex connection (improvised due to film shooting complications)adds to the irreverent spirit of the thing.I never turn down a fun movie, no matter how many have gone before. There just aren't that many that turn up. Highly recommend.

2012-05-05 11:16:02

Watch it

This review is from: RocknRolla (Single-Disc Edition) (DVD) A great flick. Multi plot angles to keep you interested. Probably one of the best dance scenes since the last Travolta film I watched. Violent, funny, sexy with Irish accents to boot.

pyrocitor 2012-04-30 15:04:42

Ritchie rolls back into action with a pulse pounding, viciously funny return to form

In a business as enormously subjective as the film industry, it wouldseem near impossible to attempt to remain individual and innovative,continually raising the bar, without the occasional stumble.Writer/director Guy Ritchie, who at first garnered countless approvalfor his vicious, hyper-stylized tales of dirty deeds in the Britishunderground, had found the critical tides turning in recent years afterthe succession of universally panned Swept Away to widely bafflingRevolver, begging the question as to whether Ritchie's cinematic geniushad been limited to his initial films. However, fans of theunconventional filmmaker will be enthralled to hear that his latestproject, RocknRolla proves a confident return to form, a snappy,stylish piece of work bristling with energy and acerbic wit - in short,classic Ritchie.Returning to his defining genre, Ritchie crafts yet another convolutedmyriad of intersecting story lines focusing on greed, deception,double-crossing and plenty of stupidity in the seedy underbelly ofEngland. With viewers trusted to be familiar with his unique style,Ritchie uses his familiar story template to worm in social commentaryamidst his trademark edge and humour, satirising the increasinglydeveloped state of London and the enormous demand for real estate andlocation. But this is not the ordinary, romanticized London, asRitchie's cinematic eye appears determined to capture every last dank,filthy gutter, every ounce of crime and corruption in a fashion akin tothe least flattering cinematic depictions of New York. And yet, amidstthe filth and edgy comedy, the occasional moment of raw humanity,flawed as it may be emerges from the fray of unanimously unsympatheticcharacters, whether it be the vulnerability of rocker Johnny Quidshuddering and rocking back and forth on a drug trip or the wittyinterplay between 'The Wild Bunch', a trio of hapless thieves. For afilm so cynically detached, RocknRolla sure can hit the emotionalgut-punch buttons for brief but unsettlingly crucial moments.However, in the midst of his caustic reflection on his home town,Ritchie has mercifully left his sense of uproarious fun intact. After arelatively slow start, serving mostly to set up the convoluted array ofcharacters and plot points (the central Maguffin this time being a'lucky' Russian painting which goes missing) the film takes off at thefrenzied pace those familiar with Ritchie's work would expect. Plunginginto a fray of hilarious coincidences and situational comedy (watch fora priceless slow dance scene and one of the most hysterical sex scenesin many a year), double crosses, intimidation rants, philosophicalmonologues and the time worn Ritchie tradition of indestructibleRussian hit men, it becomes clear that no matter how many similaritiesit may bear to past work, the delight of seeing a dynamic talent backon the top of his game cannot be understated. While the hyper-kineticediting and camera-work and bold music cues of Snatch have been toneddown and the casual violence is more removed, the cinematic flavour isunmistakable - Ritchie is back, and just as bombastically entertainingas ever. As usual, Ritchie's cast rise to the occasion of matching thebrilliance of their script and director. Gerard Butler brings anendearing charm to tough talking goofball thug One-Two, inevitablyraising laughs whenever on screen and anchoring the film as one of thefew likable characters. Tom Wilkinson takes on the role of residentBritish mobster with considerable aplomb, spitting out his lines with avindictive joy and proving easily more than adequate on theintimidation front. Thandie Newton evokes an alluring mysterious air asa devious accountant playing each side of the conflict against eachother, exuding a subtle quirkiness in her execution of the traditionalfemme fatale figure. Mark Strong delivers harried menace and perfectcomic deadpan as Wilkinson's right hand man, crafting another memorableRitchie reference with the "Archie slap", and Idris Elba and Tom Hardyare fittingly hilarious as One-Two's bumbling fellow hard men Mumblesand Handsome Bob. Finally, Toby Kebbell eerily essays the mostcommanding character on screen as allegedly deceased rocker JohnnyQuid. A narcissistic, painfully vulnerable, haphazardly philosophicaland cheekily insulting pile of flaws and potent observations, Quid isas classic as any of Ritchie's more beloved characters, and Kebbell'soff-kilter performance rivets the viewer's attention - whetherhilarious or tragic, he is always invariably impossible to ignore andfar too interesting to discount. While the occasional cry of rehashing story elements from pastsuccesses may be raised, Ritchie's return to form is too supremelyentertaining to dwindle under such complaints, as the formula proves tohave just enough shelf life along with countless inspired tweaks toremain miles ahead of any stylistic impersonators. For any finding thecinema's fare too dull or uninspired, fear not - a genuine talent hasre-emerged, and RocknRolla proves just the antidote to the hackneyedmainstream offshoots which slunk up in his absence. The prospect of theannounced two sequels is mouth watering indeed - if anything shouldprove indicative of the film's quality, it is that. -9/10

Neil Welch 2012-04-30 01:12:46

Good fun if overdone in places

Guy Ritchie ventures into territory which is already familiar fromLock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch etc. - a London-basedunderworld ranging from small-time losers to big-time underworldbosses, all of whom are able to lob out incendiary wisecracks at thedrop of a hat. The plot this time concerns the theft - twice - of bribe money which isneeded to get a dodgy planning application through. For such a simpleidea, the movie is plotted very densely and is festooned withcoincidences. Well, OK, I could cope with that.But there were two further elements which did rather lose me, I'mafraid. One of these concerned the stepson of the crime boss - a junkiepop star who was faking his own death in order to boost record sales -and the other concerned the travels of a "lucky painting" whichbelonged to the Russian property developer, which seemed to passthrough the hands of pretty nearly every member of the cast at onepoint or another. Both these elements were unnecessary and - in my view- detracted from the film rather than adding to it, mainly becauseneither of them was very credible.The performers, seasoned pros all, delivered decent characters,although Thandie Newton perhaps rather overdid the moody smouldering.It was good to see Ritchie moving away from his familiar repertorycompany.I may be alone in being uneasy at someone turning out a series of filmsin which every single character is disreputable, where the "hero" (bywhich I mean the character which the audience is clearly intended toroot for) is a cute lovable armed robber, and he's top of the heap interms of morality.And the sequences dealing with how One Two dealt with Handsome Bob'srevelation were very funny (if politically incorrect). Entertaining,but often ear-splittingly loud.

2012-04-23 17:09:18

Unorthodox, Gritty, Darkly Funny, Fast-Paced, Easy To Follow Because Of Narrations!

I find that Guy Ritchie's work inspires deep feelings of love or hate!There is no middleground among people when it comes to him. Some see him as a ridiculous wanna-be Scorcesse or DePalma, others see him as a fresh new voice and vision in cinema for the 21st Century.I enjoyed this movie and all it's rawness, dark humor, violence and rollercoaster twists and turns! Gerard Butler, Idris Elba & their motley crew of low dollar thugs with ambitions for the bigtime made this movie for me! Their interplay was priceless against the story's other very interesting characters. I also love the cracked-out, devil-may-care, balls-to-the-wall portrayal of the ROCK-N-ROLLA himself, Johnny Quid, who is one of the main bad guy's stepson who this whole crazy ride revolves around!--He is a hoot! Jeremy Piven & Chris "Ludacris" Bridges play his smarmy record company moguls who get tangled up in this wild web as well!I don't care what anyone says!---I thought this was brilliant!Now to prove my point of how Guy Ritchie's work polarizes people...My mother, who watched this movie with me, ABSOLUTELY THOUGHT IT WAS TRASH!!You have to decide this one for yourself...

Michael Carter 2012-04-23 00:06:12

Guns, Girls and Drugs, Ritchie back to his best

I went to see Rock n Rolla at the cinema and I also purchased it on DVDas I am a big fan of Guy Ritchie. I went into this film thinking itwasn't going to be great maybe because of the last film from RitchieRevelover which wasn't good.The film starts at a good pace and you get into the mind of thecharacters very quickly. You first meet Lenny Cole(Tom Wilkinson) whois the leader of a mob firm that he likes to call the old school. Thenthere is the new school which is led by Uri Omovich(Karel Roden). Thesetwo big figures are sorting out a deal which will let Uri build anarena in the heart of London. You can see straight away that Lenny andUri are big money makers but they don't really look like gangsters soyou know they must have bigger men working for them. As one thing leadsto another Uri lends Lenny a very valuable painting as a sign of hisgood will but this painting soon goes on to be stolen. This is whereArchie comes into the film as Lenny's right hand man. He goes lookingfor the stolen painting and you know he won't let anything stand in hisway. Then there is the the Wild Bunch who steal money from the Russianusing inside information from his accountant, the lovely Stella. Thewild bunch are more like criminals and you know they are all in it forthe money. Stella is very cunning and she also wants her part of themoney but she also looks to get a bit of One Two (Gerald Butler). Yougo on to find the painting has been stolen by Johnny Quid(Tony Kebbell)who is the son of Lenny and also a big rock star that is supposedlydead.The painting then gets moved around between Johnny, One Two and Archieas they all try to get there hands on it. This leads to the Russiansattacking the wild bunch and almost killing them until Archie arrivesjust in time. Archie takes the wild bunch to Lenny who threatens tokill them all but Johnny reveals Lenny is the rat who put the wildbunch in jail a few years back so they go onto kill him and Johnny andArchie come together to run the mob which will happen in The Real Rockn Rolla which should be released in 2010.What I liked about the film was the Ritchie style that he has alwayshad was still there and he used it perfectly. It wasn't heavy on gunsand drugs there was more storyline with these things included. Thewittiness and pace of the film always kept me entertained. The Usualvoice-over to go with the film reminded me of Lock Stock and Snatch soit was good to see this because Revolver didn't seem like a Ritchiefilm at all. The twists through the film keep it entertaining and theend gives it even more good recognition because I think it was a reallygood dramatic ending and I know I wasn't expecting it. The way the doorhas been kept open for a second film was also very clever because thereis still a lot of story to cover. Acting performances from GeraldButler and Mark Strong were vital to the film because they kept theRitchie gangster theme alive with there tough styles and fast pacedactions.Ritchie is great because you can tell he is still doing want he wantsand he won't let Hollywood draw him in. Questions were raised afterRevolver but Ritchie has gone back to the drawing board and done whathe does best. Ritchie is still an amazing genuine talent to film andwith two sequels in mind for the film it shows that we still have moreof the talent to see from Ritchie.

dbborroughs 2012-04-20 19:29:07

Well made and well done-but I've seen this before

(This review will probably not help anyone) The new Guy Richie movie islike Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Layer Cake onlymore so. Its hip, its happening and very well made. For the life of meI couldn't tell you what happens in it or why you should care to see itother than its not bad for what it is. What it is is a knock off of thethree earlier films by Richie and Matthew Vaughn that is certainlybetter then Revolver, but nothing special on its own, especially ifyou've seen the earlier films. I've been there and done that and didn'tneed to feel that I've wasted my time watching a tread. Is Guy Ritchiethat limited of a talented filmmaker? I'd wait for cable.

2012-04-20 05:37:23

A wild and entertaining ride from Guy Ritchie

There is so much going on in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla that it isn't hard to lose track of who's stealing from who or who got doublecrossed and why, but that doesn't stop it from being the most fun, wild, and thoroughly entertaining film from Guy Ritchie since Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels. As the film unfolds, we learn of a real-estate scam headed by London underworld boss Lenny (Tom Wilkinson) and Russian magnate Uri (Karel Roden), but soon enough much more comes into play when Uri's prized painting is stolen. Entering the scene are a group of low-rent hoods (Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy), a shady accountant (Thandie Newton), a rockstar presumed dead (Toby Kebbell) and his managers (Jeremy Piven and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), and Lenny's trusted right hand man (Mark Strong); all of whom have something to gain and/or lose as Ritchie manages to pack enough quips and comedic action moments into the 114 minute running as he possibly can. Saying more about the film's convoluted storyline would ruin most of the fun of RocknRolla, of which you won't be able to take your eyes off the screen. The performances are great all around, with a special mention for Butler, Elba, and Hardy; who are all great together, but sadly don't get as much screen time as one would like. Despite that though, RocknRolla is a blast, and re-affirms that Guy Ritchie has definitely not lost his touch. Now let's just hope that this isn't the last we've seen of the Wild Bunch.