More of the same.

Rating: 1/10 (26 May 2001)

Let me preface this by saying that I very much dislike Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. (If you liked that, you'll probably like this.) I say the same thing for this new piece of drivel by Ritchie. Why? How could I dislike such a riveting piece of modern cinema by such a visionary young director? Oh, come on.... There isn't that much to like here. The style is more of the same - stealing, as I've said before, from the likes of Trainspotting and Tarantino (with Scorsese added in here for good measure?). This is not creative stuff. He takes what they've done and churns out a completely shallow, worthless rendition of it, creating what so many people in this post-Tarantino era do: this brand of "hip," violent cinema, with the aloof, jaded humor about the whole thing. What is lacking is any sort of redemptive value at all; there is no depth, no character (people seem to love the characters in this; they're all more of character sketches, of violent criminals at that), and really there is little here that could be called a human emotion. If not substance, then what? The humor is generally lacking and low brow, attempting to get laughs off the most base, disgusting things. The entire content of this film is like staring into a toilet really... Don't misunderstand me. I'm really not just a huge prude - afterall, I like the aforementioned film and directors. I simply feel that there should be something in all of this nonsense which makes it worth my while. There isn't... This is empty virtuosity (where it is even that). Unlike someone like Scorsese, Ritchie will make us bask in filth with no payback; instead, it may glorify it and is rather like watching a kid play with a new toy.