Visually and cinematically, "Trainspotting" meets Tarantino -- story-wise, an unfortunate case of style over substance

Rating: 5/10 (11 June 2005)

"Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998) has become something of a cult classic (particularly in the UK) and has a devout fan following. In the wake of the Quentin Tarantino self-knowing genre imitators this is one of the few to stand apart from the rest and make a name for itself.
Unfortunately that's all it really is -- a Tarantino imitator. It's entirely coincidental that it's had any more of an impact than, say, "The Way of the Gun," or other failed Tarantino spawns.
There have been some people on the IMDb message boards saying, "...Tarantino just rips people off so how can this be a rip off of Tarantino?" Tarantino does indeed rip off, or "borrow," other filmmakers. But his visual style is a distinct one -- his raw, edgy, down-to-earth directorial style with the dark shades and grungy grain -- and "Lock Stock" copies this way too often.
Guy Ritchie got his start in TV commercials and that's very clear. I suppose most Americans wouldn't be able to tell since the commercials in America are so stupid and banal. In the UK, commercials (particularly those such as the Stella Artois ads) tell stories and have a clear visual edge that is lacking in the US. Ritchie's style is identical to the sensuous and dark adverts being broadcast in the UK. The camera angles, styles and hand-cam shots are all straight from TV; the gambling sequence where a character's head is blurred and spun around, or when the camera bursts out of a cook's boiling pot of water, are straight from the tube; Ritchie's background is instantly recognizable. In my opinion, it's not a good style for film; it's like a mix between Soderbergh and Tarantino, and I don't like it much. (Although admittedly it's great for adverts.) This picture is alive, sure, because of the TV-style flair. But that doesn't mean it's any good. To be totally honest I found it to be a huge bore and a wannabe Tarantino flick crossed with Irvine Welsh.
I couldn't care less about any of the characters. I liked Jason Statham the most, but the others are introduced so poorly, and examined so recklessly, that I quickly lost track of their traits and felt as if I was -- yet again -- watching some extended TV commercial: style over substance.
The dialogue is OK, I guess, and in fact the actors all bring it alive because they do very much sound like Eastern Londoners. (Can't say how many people I've met who talk just like this!) That would be the highest praise I can give it.
"Trainspotting" is the best UK film of the 1990s, in my opinion, and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" is a pale imitation of both this and the Quentin Tarantino generation. Its dialogue, directorial style and hip self-conscious vibe have all been over-used to such an extent that it just comes across as pretentious, showy and artificial -- not fun, just dumb.