Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Rating: 7/10 (8 November 2005)

From debuting director Guy Ritchie, the man who married Madonna, this is I think the film that re-established the British gangster movies and put them back on the map. Eddy (Nick Moran) loses £500,000 that was loaned to him by fellow card player, porn and East End crime king P.H. Moriarty as 'Hatchet' Harry Lonsdale, he has a week to get it all back, and Harry has loyal debt collector Big Chris (Vinnie Jones), with son Little Chris (Peter McNicholl), to make sure it is paid. With the help of his mates Tom (Jason Flemyng), Soap (A Bear's Tail's Dexter Fletcher) and Bacon (Jason Statham), they plan a robbery not hatched by them, but by their neighbours. The first thing that happens is that two antique long barrel shotguns are bought for a £700 scam, and the four jack-the-lads have quite a few other things going wrong, and it is really amusing when the gang realise the two guns are worth thousands, at the wrong moment. Also starring Steven Mackintosh as Winston, Nicholas Rowe as J, Nick Marcq as Charles, Charlie Forbes as Willie, Lenny McLean as Barry the Baptist, Frank Harper as Dog, Steve Sweeney as Plank, Stephen Marcus as Nick the Greek, singer Sting as JD, Rob Brydon as Traffic Warden and Alan Ford as Alan (also narrating). I can agree with the critics this has quite a youthful feel to it, with a very reliable and splendid cast, and a funny and fierce witty script to go with it, a great crime comedy. It won the BAFTA Audience Award, and it was nominated for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film and Best Editing, and it won the British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Film. Very good!