A lot like "Snatch" but with fewer laughs.

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2014)

Considering that this film was written and directed by Guy Ritchie, it's certainly not very surprising that it is strongly reminiscent of "Snatch"--another one of Ritchie's film. Obviously, he did well with "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and decided to repeat the formula for his next film. Both have very dark and dry senses of humor, a lot of bad guys (nothing but bad guys), bad language and crude material all wrapped up in an incredibly stylish package. You like one film, you'll like the other. You hate one, you'll hate the other.
This film is about several groups of idiot criminals who all converge. There are the incredibly stupid and burn-out drug dealers, the tough guys who plan to rob them AND a third group that plans to rob the second group once they've committed the robbery. In addition, you have some super-scary baddies--super-scary indeed. Who will survive with all these guns, knives and swords being wielded? And, speaking of guns, two of the shotguns used in the robbery MIGHT just be worth more than all the stuff they steal--but the dummies don't even realize it.
This film is, above all else, very stylish and weird. The criminals DEFINITELY have odd and quirky personalities but more importantly, the camera-work and edits are very well done--very innovative and they get your attention. It's all very well worth seeing but it's also NOT a film for everyone. Of course, you shouldn't let your kids, your mother or Father Jenkins watch it. But to enjoy it yourself you need a very high threshold for this sort of thing. It certainly AIN'T rated G! However, despite the very harsh language and very adult subject matter, Richie actually doesn't show that much of the violence. It happens--but mostly off-camera.
By the way, of the two similar films, I slightly prefer "Snatch" simply because it tried harder to be overtly funny--though the nihilistic ending in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" was priceless. Also, as I watched the film and heard a bazillion bullets being discharged, it's interesting that no police EVER responded to any of the locations!