One of the best low(ish) budget films of all time

Rating: 7/10 (23 January 2014)

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a trend-setting and doesn't get its proper due. Many people point to Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction as the most revolutionary films of the modern era but some might argue that Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels deserves just as much credit as these two. Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie brought everyone into the modern day of what movies could be and what many now are. Guy Ritchie, unfortunately for him, didn't write as many quotable one liners as Tarantino, not to mention the heavy cockney accents found in this film as well as Snatch. In the eyes of the general public, these reasons are why Ritchie is back a couple of notches from the fame of Tarantino.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels has what can only be described as a Guy Ritchie stamp on it. It was shot on Super 16 which gives the film a beautiful look and feel throughout. At certain times the film does feel a bit low budget but not as often as one might expect. There are points in this movie where you are in awe of how gorgeous the images are and how well crafted the framing is. There are some innovative ways Ritchie uses true slow motion in this film as well. It is important to point out that he did not shoot the slow motion parts in real time and then slow them down after. These were shot in true slow motion. You can tell the difference and it's one of the many things I love about this movie. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels had a budget of 1.3 million which does sound like a lot of money but when you look at what Ritchie ultimately ended up producing with that budget it is quite incredible. It is even more incredible when you review the cast and see just how many great actors are in this movie. All of them, from Jason Statham down did a fantastic job. There was only one or two moments where the acting wasn't the best but for the most part this movie felt like an extremely large production because of the quality of acting, the size of the cast and the many shootouts that occurred.
There is one particular shootout in this film that was outrageously gorgeous. This one scene involves a stoned out female, an enormous automatic weapon and a dose of comedy at the end. "Where the f*** did she come from?" Priceless. The slow motion in that scene is incredible and has you in awe as the spent rounds hit the floor while the hailstorm ensues. It is one of the best shootout scenes captured in any film. Unfortunately, this style of shooting has been stolen and overdone by many directors as the years have gone by. This has caused this type of filming to go stale and now hardly anyone does it anymore, unfortunately.
The other great thing about this film that is incredible is that Vinnie Jones who plays Big Chris just got out of jail on the first day of shooting this film. He was arrested for attacking a neighbor. To be able to keep Vinnie focused and have him deliver a great performance like he did shows just how good Ritchie is. It is also a great casting job as Vinnie is one of the few people that could pull that role off. He is also well known as a very tough soccer player which I am sure made the casting job a little easier as they might have wanted someone who is relatively well known for that part.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels isn't without flaws. There are a few moments where you can tell Ritchie is trying to save on cost and in turn it produces a moment that is just a little bit strange or doesn't quite work. There are also a couple of scenes where the writing could be a bit stronger or some of the plot holes could have been filled better but for the most part it is a great film that can stand up to just about anything out there. Without Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels we would not have the clever movie Snatch which could be considered a high budget version of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels many actors return to that film and the writing style is almost exactly the same. That shouldn't come as too big of a shock considering that Ritchie did write both but it is worth noting that Snatch is another film that takes this style of directing and expands on it as Ritchie was given much more to work with. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels should be homework for any film student.