Diverting

Rating: 7/10 (31 August 2002)

In spite of appropriating both the essence and part of the story of `The Watch' section of `Pulp Fiction', this is a pleasant, though violent, diversion, fast-paced and filled with a large ensemble of memorable characters with lots of juicy lines to say. The writer/director, Guy Ritchie, doesn't seem interested in much more than showing what he's learned from watching Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese and providing a rip-roaring good time; the actors seem to be having fun as well. It's a crime comedy about a large diamond that gets passed around the underworld boxing scene in London and although the dialogue is mostly delivered with thick Cockney accents, the injection of a sizable Hollywood contingent (including Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina and, as a gypsy with unintelligible diction, Brad Pitt) as well as the directorial influence gives the film a decidedly American feel. No great shakes but not a bad way to spend a couple of hours either.