Customer Reviews

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

5 star:		(220)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Guy Ritchie is not only an amazing director, but he's attached the most unusual and awesome mix of music to this classic-to-be movie. This CD is for anyone who enjoys something away from the normal. BE WARNED!! There are two versions! I myself accidentally bought the American version, HUGE MISTAKE!!!! It lacked many delicious songs that were vital for maximum enjoyment. Please do NOT make the same mistake I did, buy the Imported version, do your research, you'll see. ENJOY!!

I was fortunate to have seen this film prior to it's American release in London where I was attending my brother's wedding in 1998. I was totally blown away by this high energy caper film. My first reaction was to compare Ritchie's style with that of Quentin Tarantino. On subsequent reflection,no, director Guy Ritchie with this film and the subsequent "Snatch" has a style all of his own. What impresses is the way Ritchie handles all of the storylines in this densely plotted story. He also does it in such a quick-cutting, high-energy style that you have to stop and catch your breath. Ritchie also gets the most out of a mostly unknown cast. Most impressive is Vinnie Jones, a former rugby player known for his agressive play on the field, as a formidable debt collector. It's a shame that the best he could do in American films was that lame remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds". My understanding is that Ritchie populated the film with alot of underworld types and that may account for the realism. Here's hoping that Ritchie gets back to his roots with his upcoming feature after the misfire that was "Swept Away".

After all of the hyped Tarantino wannabe films of the early 90's, I was more than a little reluctant to see this film, because I was told that it followed that mold. However, I was pleasantly surprised and excited about this Brit gem that I feel is far superior than 'Pulp Fiction' or any of those other movies. Perhaps because it takes place in England, and it contains a lot of words and things that I have never heard before, but I just love this film to death. The story of four friends who find themselves heavily in debt after one of them loses big money to a local gangster, hilarity ensues as they figure out a way to get the money by the end of the week. Throw in two ancient shotguns, a bunch of clueless druggies, a few more badass gangsters and a huge case of mistaken identity, and you get one of the freshest films to be released in America for a long time. Everything is perfect--the cast, the plot, the characters. I was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down my face. If you haven't seen this film yet, you must. It is so funny, you'll want to watch it over and over again.

I have both the SD version of Lock Stock and Snatch, I rank this movie in my top 10 all time list. It's just a brilliant movie!!

HOWEVER, the Blu-ray version is VERY poor quality, the SD DVD version actually looks better. There is A LOT of graining in the Blu-Ray version, it's as if they got the compression all wrong. I'm running this from some high end audio/video equipment on a 63" Mitsubishi DLP and Sony BD player thru Harmon Kardon (all have the most recent firmware updates) -- this is the ONLY BD I've purchased that has this terrible graining. Even tested it on my MacPro using my LG BD player and noticed the same graining problem.

I came up with a 3 rating because the film content is excellent worth a 5 star, however, the BD image quality get a 1 star, hence the resulting 3 stars. Unfortunate mess up, but I have to say go with the standard SD DVD version.

After four moderately clean boys (relative to the other characters of the film) find themselves way over their heads in debt, they dream up a plan to cover their debt and put them on easy street. As they end up crossing villain after villain they are finally tracked down. Their adventures make for a perfectly insane story with a brilliant, ambiguous ending.

Guy Ritchie has a masterpiece here. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a brilliantly woven together jumble of plot twists within plot twists all culminating at the end in a perfectly neat and tidy package.

Ritchie brought music video cinematography to this movie and it could not have worked better. Each and every scene is portrayed perfectly by the toned down colors and hyper-frenetic camera play. The acting is perfect, clearly bringing across the cleverness, brutality, or sheer stupidity of the characters.

Ritchie et al. have brought the gangster film into the 90's and done an impeccable job of it. While the movie plays loudly and outrageously, there are constant subtle undercurrents and great implications concerning everyone involved. While not especially deep, LS&2SB makes for a hilariously fun ride.

If only more movies were made with this attention to craftsmanship! In bullet point form:

1) Great, inventive caper plot. Not since The Sting or the Usual Suspects has a film kept you guessing. The pace is really quick, yet none of the events seemed forced or contrived.

2) Stylish presentation! The shots in the gambling montage are as dynamic and thought-out as any music video you've seen. A great blending of visual design sense and film.

3) Dialog, dialog, dialog! Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of action in this movie, set against working class England. The words that come out of even the dopiest character in Lock, Stock... make you want to go out and read a thesaurus.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE if you are tired of the same formulaic action junk, with the same four actors (sorry, Harrison, Arnold, Bruce and Mel) and are not put off by some SERIOUS Cockney accents. This is a terrific thinking-man's action film.

I hate traffic wardens, but I love this movie! LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS is graced with many hilarious and multi-dimensional characters and is lucky enough to have actors that accurately bring them to life. This film from Guy Ritchie, much like the film that would follow it, SNATCH, is about many different characters with different motives tied into one twisted, comic, and even more complicated stroyline. This film can be quite funny if you understand it, but beware of getting lost. Most every line in this film has some significance to the plot, and if that weren't enough, you have to understand it with the thick accents. So, pay close attention to what the characters are trying to say and you will most likely enjoy yourself. If you do do your best at paying attention to every line, and you end up not enjoying the film, then you probably missed something, or you didn't miss anything and your cold and have no sense of humor. Guy Ritchie directs with his own unique style and uses many interesting techniques to tell this energetic and fast-paced action comedy. If you enjoy this film, then you will definitely enjoy SNATCH, Ritchie's follow-up (not a sequel). But back to LOCK STOCK, if you like comedy, action, suspense, more comedy, and energy to wrap it all up, along with a great soundtrack, then I strongly recommend LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS. Enjoy the cockneyrhyming slang.
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