Lock, Stock, and a barrel of boring nonsense.

Rating: 6/10 (27 June 2001)

"Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" is an over-rated, somewhat original dark crime comedy out of the UK which wears itself out early in its 1.6 hour run. Telling of a bunch of small time hoodlums, some smaller than others, "Lock, Stock..." is a convoluted tale which uses the same in-your-face monotonic deadpan exaggerated comedic effect in every scene. The characters are all vulgar misfits comic book males who become drones of monotony in short order. The contrasty sepia visual effect also wears thin unless you enjoy looking at jaundiced hepatitis patients in poor, almost posterized quality. May be worth the time but not worth the price of a ticket.