Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Blu-ray)
Bad men doing bad things for a good reason?
Tags: Misc DVD 2009 Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 15th, 2009
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels brought Guy Ritchie to the world stage as far as cinema is concerned. It also brought to prominence the British gangster genre as well as the actors Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones. The plot is intricate, the characters two-dimensional, and the execution is top-notch. While a violent film (as most gangster films usually are) there’s enough action and humor in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels that elevates it beyond a simplistic (but good) genre entry.
Now on Blu-ray, a new audience can get to see why Hollywood continues to give Guy Ritchie the benefit of the doubt after stinkers like Revolver. The pacing of the film, at a little under 2 hours, would have been a 4 hour epic under different hands (such as Ridley Scott or Martin Scorsese). Here we get what is arguably a roller coaster ride that grabs the viewer by the lapel and doesn’t let go.
As for the story, it’s fairly original, but familiar. Four friends need to pay back a debt – but it is the story of how they enter that debt and subsequently relieve themselves of it that provides the backbone to the story. It is also a theme that keeps coming up in Guy Ritchie’s work, which makes me think he has some unresolved issues.
While it isn’t an overly gory film, there is an intensity to the violence in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels that will make certain audience members uneasy. More sensitive viewers may want to take a pass on this one. That isn’t to say that there is gratuitous violence, because there isn’t, but what we have is realistic enough to make some people very uncomfortable.
The language is also going to be a bit of a barrier, and the accents are very thick, with plenty of cursing. Also present is the Cockney Rhyming Slang which many in the underworld use as a sort of code. Sadly, the original DVD feature explaining this phenomenon is missing from the Blu-ray. Also quite curious in its absence is the film’s trailer. Special features included on the BLu-ray include a compilation so swearing (pointless) and a short featurette on the cinematography (in standard definition). We need to have Ritchie sit down and provide a retrospective audio commentary for this film, because its success really helped his career, and without it he would not be where he is today (the ex-husband of Madonna).
While not a perfect package, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a fun film that deserves to still be seen. The new format provides an opportunity for people to rediscover the film – but sadly Universal has missed the boat in compiling a definitive release.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| + Intricate and intense action crime film | 7.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Realistic and gritty violence can be seen as unnecessary - The original DVD featurette is missing - As is the trailer - An audio commentary would have gone down real good |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| It's a good film, and well worth watching.Fans will be disappointed in this less than complete Blu-ray release. | |
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Tags: Misc DVD 2009
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 15th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
