Product Details

• Actors: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Steven Mackintosh
• Directors: Guy Ritchie
• Writers: Guy Ritchie
• Producers: Angad Paul, Georgia Masters, Jan Roldanus, Jon Slan, Matthew Vaughn
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Polygram USA Video
• VHS Release Date: February 8, 2000
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (301 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305492247
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,680 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Cockney boys Tom, Soap, Eddie, and Bacon are in a bind; they owe seedy criminal and porn king "Hatchet" Harry a sizable amount of cash after Eddie loses half a million in a rigged game of poker. Hot on their tails is a thug named Big Chris who intends to send them all to the hospital if they don't come up with the cash in the allotted time. Add into the mix an incompetent set of ganja cultivators, two dimwitted robbers, a "madman" with an afro, and a ruthless band of drug dealers and you have an astonishing movie called Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Before the boys can blink, they are caught up in a labyrinth of double-crosses that lead to a multitude of dead bodies, copious amounts of drugs, and two antique rifles.

Written and directed by talented newcomer Guy Ritchie, this is one of those movies that was destined to become an instant cult classic à la Reservoir Dogs. Although some comparisons were drawn between Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino, it would be unfair to discount the brilliant wit of the story and the innovative camerawork that the director brings to his debut feature. Not since The Krays has there been such an accurate depiction of the East End and its more colorful characters. Indicative of the social stratosphere in London, Ritchie's movie is a hilarious and at times touching account of friendships and loyalty. The director and his mates (who make up most of the cast) clearly are enjoying themselves here. This comes across in some shining performances, in particular from ex-footballer Vinnie Jones (Big Chris) and an over-the-top Vas Blackwood (as Rory Breaker), who very nearly steals the show. Full of quirky vernacular and clever tension-packed action sequences, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a triumph--a perfect blend of intelligence, humor, and suspense. --Jeremy Storey

From The New Yorker

This début film from Guy Ritchie, a young English writer and director, was a big hit in Britain, though it's hard to see why. Four London lads owe half a million pounds to a man with the subtle sobriquet of Hatchet Harry. Learning of an upcoming drug theft, they lie in wait and rob the robbers; all goes well until their fence, Nick the Greek (Stephen Marcus), unwittingly tries to sell the drugs back to the very person who owned them in the first place. It's a neat twist in a nicely wrapped plot; if only the rest of his flimsy film lived up to it. Ritchie has previously shot commercials, and he can't begin to shake the habit; he treats the camera as a decorative toy-something you spin around at the first threatening hint of normality. Thank heaven, then, for Vinnie Jones, who plays a debt collector called Big Chris. Jones used to be a soccer player of fearsome repute, and he still stares at other men as if deciding where exactly to kick them. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing "Special" about this Edition., October 20, 2006

By 

Cubist (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (DVD)

If you own the previous edition of Lock, Stock you might really want think about if it is worth double-dipping. The transfer for this one is as good if not slightly worse than the previous 2003 release. There are only two (slight) new extras on this edition. "One Smoking Camera" features the film's cinematographer talking about how he shot the film. He takes us through a few key sequences and shows how they were shot or edited.

Finally, there is "Lock, Stock and Two F**king Barrels," a montage of colourful insults and curse words used throughout the film by various cast members.

Why the extras on the superior Region 2 release weren't ported over is a mystery and as a result this edition is really not worth your time.

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, better than Pulp Fiction, February 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Pulp Fiction fans should love this video, as it is quirkier, more exciting and funnier than Tarantino's film. Few movies of the past decade even have a plot that makes sense, let alone one that is interesting, but LS&2SB is not just well thought out, edge-of-seat suspenseful, but it is downright clever.

Every single actor in this film does a fine to great job of acting, each portrays an unique character and each is perfectly cast. While not a gut-buster, this is a subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle black comedy.

Unlike most other comedies, the camera work in this movie is just extraordinary. The interspersed slow motion and speeded-up filming of the departure from the card game (after one of the lead characters is swindled out of 500,000 pounds) captures a state of disbelief and sickening depression better than practically any other portrayal of emotion I can recall from any film.

This movie contains a lot of violence, but it is done tastefully and in a limited fashion. The camera usually pans away from the actually violent parts, leaving the worst to our imaginations (or not, as we each see fit). This is a pleasant contrast with films like Casino, that contained revolting, sickening quantities of senseless violence.

Finally, the music accompanying this film is excellent. Out of the perhaps several thousand movies I have seen or rented in the past two decades, this was the first soundtrack since Animal House that I purchased and it is a very strong collection of old and new tunes that really added a lot to the atmosphere.

This one is worth buying, not just renting.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock and roll roller coaster soundtrack, May 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1998 Film) (Audio CD)

First, go see the movie. Then by magnetic force you will be compelled to buy the CD in order to once again experience the rock and roll rollercoaster ride of the movie. An ecletic mix of rock, James Brown blues, and brit pop - along with a nice dose of classic soundbite snipits from the movie (a la Pulp Fiction). When I first got this soundtrack I was reading the playlist and thought "who are all these artists?" Now I will go out of my way to find their albums. The whole CD is great driving music - don't skip any songs!