RockNRolla (DVD)

There’s something to be said about Guy Ritchie’s movies. Sure, he borrows liberally from other directors, but he manages to mix everything together to form a style all his own. While his first few films were incredible, he has fallen off a bit with his previous releases.  RockNRolla is Ritchie’s first crime film since 2005’s Revolver, which was met with less than positive reviews. His latest flick, RockNRolla, looks to be a return to form for the director.

RockNRolla isn’t so much a return to form as it is a return to format. Ritchie employs all the elements of his best movies in this one. Interesting characters involved in intertwined plot lines that all converge at the end: check.  Snappy dialogue and unbelievable situations: check. Mysterious Macguffin (read: object that forwards the plot but whose details remain unimportant) that everyone is scrambling to get a hold of: check. Unique torture methods employed by local gangster kingpin: check. It seems that he went over a checklist for this movie and included the elements that made his other movies so great.  Unfortunately, all he did was include them. He doesn’t try to improve on these ideas and it becomes clear that not only are they a bit recycled, but they were originally done better.

Without giving away too much of the plot, a group of local hustlers, led by One-Two (the excellent Gerard Butler) become indebted to local crime Kingpin Lenny Cole (played by the unrecognizable character actor Tom Wilkinson) and his right hand man, Archie (a perfectly cast Mark Strong).  In order to come up with the cash, the group robs a Russian developer, who unknown to the group, is actually a business partner of Cole’s and the money they stole was part of a deal between the two of them.  The plot twists in a multitude of directions only to intertwine and conclude in a final impeccably timed showdown.

While the plot overall is decent, it comes up a bit short when compared to Ritchie’s better work, namely ‘Snatch’ and ‘Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.’  However, the cast and the acting in this film are all top notch.  Butler is excellent as the main character One-two and gives a genuine performance that makes you believe he is a real hustler running around on some London street somewhere.  Also amazing is Mark Strong, who for some reason resembles Andy Garcia in this movie.  People may recognize him from his turn as Hani, the Jordanian Security cheif  from ‘Body of Lies.’  While not quite on the intensity level of that performance, Strong still manages to steal most of the scenes he is in. Then there is Wilkinson, who I am sure many people may find vaguely familiar in a ‘can’t quite place his face but I’ve seen him before’ type of way.  Perhaps best recognized for his role as mobster Carmine Falcone in the recent Batman series, Wilkinson does an amazing job here portraying a man that is both revered, loathed, and feared all in one.

If this were Guy Ritchie’s first movie, it would be unbelievable. However, at this point it all seems like familiar territory, which in itself isn’t too bad. Despite whatever originality issues the plot may have, it is hard to knock such a well crafted and brilliantly acted movie.  While not quite as good as some of the director’s other work, this movie is still pretty good. If you were going to see it in the theater, I would only suggest it if you are a fan of the director.  As a rental, I would highly recommend this film.  While you’re at it, it may be worth checking out a copy of ‘Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels’ if you haven’t already.