Not Lock Stock.

Rating: 6/10 (7 November 2001)

A gangster story revolving around the sale and subsequent loss of an 84-carat diamond. Much undercover goings-on, with some fine performances directed by Mr. Madonna, Guy Ritchie. Vinnie Jones, Mike Reid and Brad Pitt all play their parts, but the story primarily follows the adventures of Turkish, the boxing promoter-cum-inept criminal and his efforts to promote Mickey (Pitt) in bare-knuckled fistfights, which are rigged for the sake of the reddies. Very much character driven, the story lacks depth and plays the 'Lock, Stock' card far too often to be called original in any sense. Entertaining nonetheless, but in a forgettable way. A film that has tossed away it's best lines without too much care and attention. 'This is a boxing match, not a tickling competition', for instance. As I said, the plot is thin and it appears that the story fell together by accident, though the characters are both credible and believable. Thumbs up for the casting and acting roles. Not something I would take my children to watch due to the choice language and graphic violence and also not a picture I would choose to view again, though it was enjoyable in a one-off sense. The writers could do better than this, as could the actors who agreed to be in it, though not desperately so. Acceptable for it's target audience, but would be found wanting by most others.