Rocknrolla
Movie details
When a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal, millions of dollars are up for grabs, and all of London's criminal underworld wants in on the action. Everyone from a dangerous crime lord to a sexy accountant, a corrupt politician and down-on-their-luck petty thieves conspire, collude and collide with one another in an effort to get rich quick.
Director Guy Ritchie
Stars Gerard Butler, Gemma Arterton, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, Jamie Campbell Bower
Strong violence and coarse language
Our review
Guy Ritchie has returned to the type of film that put him on the map a decade ago, with "RocknRolla" proving he's still got the spark he showed back in the box office hit "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels".
Like Ritchie's other London crime movies, "RocknRolla" contains so many subplots, side stories and coincidentally-crossed paths that attempting to outline the film is an uphill struggle.
So here it goes. A couple of small-time crooks, One Two (played by "300's" Gerard Butler) and Mumbles (Idris Elba), don't know it but they've just been ripped off in a land deal by underworld boss Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson), putting them in the hole to the tune of 2 million pounds. Luckily, One Two has an understanding with a high-class accountant, Stella (Thandie Newton), who lets him know about a 7 million euro cash transfer that can solve the boys' money troubles.
Of course, the Ritchie Law of Coincidence decrees that the money the lads steal is the same money being withdrawn by a Russian property magnate to pay off Lenny Cole, and things just get more tangled from there.
Although it does get a little muddy at times, the film never collapses under its own weight. A major factor in this is the quality of the cast that Ritchie has managed to corral for "RocknRolla".
Across the board, they give the movie's wordplay and patchwork of English accents a lived-in believability that was missing at times in "Lock, Stock" and "Snatch".
The actors - particularly Butler, Wilkinson and Mark Strong, who plays henchman Archie - also bring an energy to their roles that make the proceedings all the more fun to watch.
It'll take another couple of on-form films before Ritchie can truly claim a comeback, but "RocknRolla" is a great start.
He's learnt not to rely on flashy directing tricks, instead trusting that his story and actors are interesting enough to carry the audience's interest. Here's hoping he keeps it up.
8/10
Morgan Derera
In compiling yourTime content, HWW relies upon information supplied by a number of sources. yourTime content is supplied on the basis that while HWW believes that all the information in it will be correct at time of publishing, it does not warrant its accuracy or completeness.
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