Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner...

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2005)

Guy Ritchie may not be the most productive writer and director, but he certainly is a famous man. That has probably a lot to do with the woman he once married (Madonna if you didn't know it yet), but the amateurs of great comedies and crime movies know him for some other reason too. With the TV series "Lock Stock and ..." and movies like "Snatch", and this "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", he has done some excellent work.
While four friends find themselves in deep trouble after a crooked card game (if they don't want to lose some of their fingers, they have an enormous debt to pay in a week time to the local gang-land boss and porn king Harry 'The Hatchet' Lonsdale), they overhear their neighbors in the next flat plotting to hold up a group of pot growers. They decide that they will steal the money from their neighbors after the hold-up. In the meantime the same Harry Lonsdale has found a pair of antique shotguns that he would like to own, but for which he doesn't want to pay of course. He has it arranged that they are stolen from the retired owner, but the two not exactly brilliant thieves make a mess of the job and sell the guns to Nic the Greek, a small-time hustler. Because our four friends will need some weapons, they ask Nic the Greek to sell them something. All he can give them are two old shotguns...
Even though most of the actors aren't exactly very well known, they all did a wonderful job together. But if I have to chose one of the 'unknown' actors as the best, than I would probably say Vinnie Jones. Since his career as a professional soccer player, he not only has the reputation of being a tough guy, he's also excellent in playing this kind of roles in the movies. It doesn't happen very often that someone who has never had a good schooling as an actor is still able to act very well in a role that is larger than the average cameo, but Vinnie Jones proves that it is possible.
But the acting isn't the only good thing about this movie. The story is very nice of course, but it also has been shot and edited in an excellent way (it never clearly shows the most gruesome violence, but only gives a hint of it). It all looks very modern and classic at the same time, making this movie an interesting instant classic. And when you add to this nice concept some fine humor and some excellent music, than you know that you have a winner. I had a great time while watching this movie and was constantly laughing with it. I give this movie an 8.5/10. In my opinion this is one of the best comedies of the nineties.