It'll blow you away.

Rating: 8/10 (20 August 2005)

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is one of those rare movies that flies under the radar until it gathers a cult following.
This is Guy Ritchie's directorial debut. The story focuses around five groups of people, but mainly four friends who are now in deep trouble when Tom, a highly skilled card shark, loses in a card game that was rigged. They find themselves a quarter million dollars in debt and have only a week to get out of before "Hachet" Harry will start chopping their fingers off. The other story lines come into play when Tom and his three friends try to figure out a way to come up with the money.
What I like about this film is the fresh script writing and odd humor. The opening sequence (Jason Statham street peddling with help from Jason Flemming) sets the right pace for a comedic and fast paced flick. From there we are introduced to every other character in their own unique way. My favorite characters have got to be Big Chris and Little Chris. Big Chris (played by Vinnie Jones) is the kind of character that was placed in the script to be the tough guy. Usually the tough guy is someone rather generic, but Guy Ritchie places Little Chris (Peter McNicholl) as Big Chris's young son to show a soft side to Big Chris. Big Chris tries to keep Little Chris from becoming a mindless thug by showing him how to do things properly without using foul language and such. The two characters become very comedic and do not become tired over the course of the movie.
Another great element of this movie is the soundtrack. I actually got ticked off when one of the songs stopped playing when I wanted it to go on. Very stylish and the music seems to go right with every scene.
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is highly enjoyable and won't disappoint you.
8/10