Slick, stylish, thoroughly British debut from Guy Ritchie.

Rating: Null/10 (20 March 1999)

Not since the likes of "The Long Good Friday" or "Get Carter" has the UK produced such an innovative, gutsy, compelling gangster flick. Stellar lead performances, a strong supporting cast, a thumping soundtrack and virtuoso direction make "Lock, Stock..." THE definitive British movie of the decade.
Made up of a cast of relative unknowns from extinct British serial shows, i.e Dexter Fletcher (Press gang & Gamesmaster) and soccer hard man Vinnie Jones, this fast-paced, action-packed, darkly humourous contemporary Brit-flick never fails to deliver. Add a touch of very swish and stylish direction, seen at it's best in the card game set in the Boxing ring, linked in with a very cool set up of rivals intent on the retrieval of £500,000 and what do you get? A Brit-flick that is an absolute must-see time and time again.
The complex and involving plot is some-what immersive. The man Rory Breaker is at times evil, added with DOG who should be locked up for an incredibly long time. Nick the Greek London based mediterranean wide-boy and the group of Soap, Eddy, Tom and Bacon are all a bunch of small-time crooks loooking to make a buck.
The two scousers are quite stupid, spouting such inane drivel as "These people ain't got no money, they can't even afford new furniture" and Guy Ritchie's direction is often amazing as the scene already mentioned gives testament to, as does the drinking and singing scene in JD's (Sting) bar. All this adds to an impressive and ground-breaking film that must be seen several times for you to catch every single humorous moment.
The overview must be that this movie is so impressive that it will probably win absolutely no OSCARs, but they will all be given to some hum-drum Tom Hanks flick without a patch of the originality, unpredictability and blatant coolness of the entire cast or outstanding direction.