RocknRolla
Although each is a little different it's impossible to deny that all of writer-director Guy Richie's crime capers follow the same format: After a series of stuff-ups some incompetent small-time hoodlums find themselves indebted to a dangerous crime boss. The crime boss normally has problems of his own. As the small-time crooks try to extricate themselves from their situation, they draw in other lowlifes, and find themselves with at least one apparently indestructible hitman on their tail. Eventually all the various interweaving storylines come together in a comically overblown climax where bullets fly, blood spatters and it all ends with a pile of bodies on the floor.
RocknRolla, Richie's latest film fits the formula exactly, so there's no real need to discuss the plot further.
The film features an outstanding English cast, including Tom Wilkinson as the abusive, racist crime lord, Mark Strong as his disillusioned right-hand man, Thandie Newton as an ice queen accountant who commissions bank robberies for kicks, and Jimi Mistry as a crooked municipal councilor.
Performances are excellent across the board, with 300's Gerard Butler an especial stand-out as One-Two, an utterly useless, but nonetheless roguishly charming, thief struggling with his homophobia.
Out of interest Jeremy Piven and Ludacris are present to provide some American flavour to the cast but their music industry characters are pretty ineffectual and spend most of their time staring wide eyed at the English crooks around them.
RocknRolla has a few standout moments, including the two laughably botched robberies, the flashbacks to rock star junkie Johnny Quid's childhood, One-Two's encounters with the Russians, and his reaction to his friend's very surprising revelation.
This said, generally I didn't find RocknRolla to be as witty or memorable as Richie's earlier, celebrated crime movies, Snatch and Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels. There are a handful of clever verbal exchanges between characters in RocknRolla but none that you would find yourself quoting 6 months from now. It's difficult to identify the problem with the film exactly but it feels, well, a bit flat... a bit "paint by numbers."
As is always the case with films that feature multiple interweaving storylines, the audience may become frustrated with the amount of screen time given to less interesting characters, when you would much rather the film makers focused more on your favourites. This, however, you accept as par for the course with this Tarantino-esque style of film-making.
Where RocknRolla falls down most is its conclusion. There is a surprising twist at the end, but events don't feel quite as well-rounded as in Richie's other films. Although character fates can be assumed, a bit too much happens off-screen as opposed to in front of the audience. And, frustratingly, we never get to see the "lucky" painting that plays such an important role in the film.
RocknRolla is certainly worthwhile seeing if you are in the market for some stylish entertainment targeted specifically at adults. But it's not Guy Richie's best. I'd still take Snatch over RocknRolla any day.
RocknRolla, Richie's latest film fits the formula exactly, so there's no real need to discuss the plot further.
The film features an outstanding English cast, including Tom Wilkinson as the abusive, racist crime lord, Mark Strong as his disillusioned right-hand man, Thandie Newton as an ice queen accountant who commissions bank robberies for kicks, and Jimi Mistry as a crooked municipal councilor.
Performances are excellent across the board, with 300's Gerard Butler an especial stand-out as One-Two, an utterly useless, but nonetheless roguishly charming, thief struggling with his homophobia.
Out of interest Jeremy Piven and Ludacris are present to provide some American flavour to the cast but their music industry characters are pretty ineffectual and spend most of their time staring wide eyed at the English crooks around them.
RocknRolla has a few standout moments, including the two laughably botched robberies, the flashbacks to rock star junkie Johnny Quid's childhood, One-Two's encounters with the Russians, and his reaction to his friend's very surprising revelation.
This said, generally I didn't find RocknRolla to be as witty or memorable as Richie's earlier, celebrated crime movies, Snatch and Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels. There are a handful of clever verbal exchanges between characters in RocknRolla but none that you would find yourself quoting 6 months from now. It's difficult to identify the problem with the film exactly but it feels, well, a bit flat... a bit "paint by numbers."
As is always the case with films that feature multiple interweaving storylines, the audience may become frustrated with the amount of screen time given to less interesting characters, when you would much rather the film makers focused more on your favourites. This, however, you accept as par for the course with this Tarantino-esque style of film-making.
Where RocknRolla falls down most is its conclusion. There is a surprising twist at the end, but events don't feel quite as well-rounded as in Richie's other films. Although character fates can be assumed, a bit too much happens off-screen as opposed to in front of the audience. And, frustratingly, we never get to see the "lucky" painting that plays such an important role in the film.
RocknRolla is certainly worthwhile seeing if you are in the market for some stylish entertainment targeted specifically at adults. But it's not Guy Richie's best. I'd still take Snatch over RocknRolla any day.
Comments
It was a bit hard to understand the dialogue and follow the story in the beginning, a bit all over the place, but it all resolved itself quite satisfactorily at the end.
Totally loved it! And soundtrack, well, it rocked.