Allowing for its air of laddish self-congratulation and its sad whiff of homophobia, Ritchie's film is arguably his most entertaining to date.
RocknRolla (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:135
Fresh:80
Rotten:55
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Mixed reviews for Guy Ritchie's return to his London-based cockney wideboy gangster movie roots, but most agree, it's a step in the right direction following two major turkeys.
Australian Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating] Strong violence and coarse language
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Australian Theatrical Release:
Oct 30, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $5,665,302
Synopsis: Guy Ritchie returns to form with this cockney crime caper starring Gerard Butler and Tom Wilkinson. Lenny Cole (Wilkinson) is a bungling London crime boss who calls the shots in London's... Guy Ritchie returns to form with this cockney crime caper starring Gerard Butler and Tom Wilkinson. Lenny Cole (Wilkinson) is a bungling London crime boss who calls the shots in London's underworld. We learn all about Lenny from Archie (Mark Strong)--his second in command--who serves as the film's sly narrator. When a wealthy Russian property dealer by the name of Uri (Karel Roden) looks to Lenny for help on a major new deal, Lenny is eager to assist (for a very large fee, of course). Uri agrees to pay, and as a show of faith, he insists that Lenny borrow his "lucky painting." Uri then asks his accountant, Stella (Thandie Newton), to transfer the money to Lenny, but things quickly go awry when two crooks known as Mumbles (Idris Elba) and One Two (Butler) intercept the money before it reaches him. To make matters worse, the lucky painting has mysteriously been stolen, and the number one suspect is a crack-addicted pop star, Johnny Quid, who is presumed dead. Violent hijinks ensue as Lenny desperately tries to locate the painting, Uri calls in some sadistic thugs to recover his money, and Johnny Quid suddenly resurfaces. Men are battered with golf clubs, fed to crawfish, and attacked with machetes, and a surprise twist ending neatly ties up the whole bloody mess. Fans of Ritchie will likely be very pleased to see him return to his SNATCH-style of filmmaking. ROCKNROLLA has the same frenetic, humorous edge as the film that made him famous, though critics might complain that this particular style is starting to look a little dusty. Regardless, ROCKNROLLA features many fine performances, and once you get past the rather slow beginning, it kicks off into an entertaining and amusing romp. [More]
Starring: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven
Starring: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Toby Kebbell
Director: Guy Ritchie
Director: Guy Ritchie
Screenwriter: Guy Ritchie
Producer: Joel Silver, Guy Ritchie, Susan Downey, Steve Clark-Hall
Composer: Steve Isles
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for RocknRolla
RocknRolla feels as if Ritchie is imitating his favourite director here, and that director is Guy Ritchie.
For a while you go along for the ride. But as the film progresses it becomes increasingly unwieldy.
The film has the sprawl of a hardboiled novel, but without the richness of character that the best of that genre has to offer.
Promoted as a story of 'sex, thugs and rock'n'roll,' this highly stylised mobster movie couldn't even be remotely confused with the real thing.
It is perhaps high time for us to just come out and finally admit to the world that director Guy Ritchie is not a very good filmmaker.
Part of the problem is that the plot is just too cluttered. There are far too many characters and sub-plots jostling for attention.
A messy, often self-indulgent film with some redeeming features (including some of its humour), Guy Ritchie's crime thriller has above average intelligence, a great cast but a below par story structure.
RocknRolla is a return to form, of sorts, for Mr. Ritchie. ... The British director has returned to familiar territory, that of the small-time hood.
'RocknRolla' takes more left turns than imaginable. It might make sense in the mind of Guy Ritchie, but to the rest of the universe, I can not imagine the film will translate.
A self conscious re-working of Guy Ritchie's now familiar style and storyworld.
It's long, confusing but is definitely saved with great performances and a tight episodic script...
Breaks no new ground for movies or for Ritchie, but it is an amusing diversion and therefore a return to form. [Blu-ray]
In spite of the film being derivative, RocknRolla is still a lot of fun. At least, what you can understand of it.
Ksanazestameno, alla akomi nostimo, to piato poy soy serbirei einai mia super sized ekdohi tis syntagis toy, me tin idia thermidiki aksia, alla horis tin geystiki apogeiosi tis neas anakalypsis
Ritchie still has the knack for street-tough dialogue, and there's plenty of laughs amid the gunplay.
As a gangster named One Two, Gerard Butler is suitably rough around all his edges.
Latest News for RocknRolla
January 27, 2009:
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"Milk" has been a favorite on the awards circuit this year, and its hot streak has been extended courtesy of the GLAAD Media Awards, where it will compete in the Outstanding... More...
January 26, 2009:
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The year is beginning to get good for home video enthusiasts, with a band of notable new titles and Blu-ray releases to get your itchy fingers twitching. Add Guy Ritchie's... More...
January 17, 2009:
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January 17, 2009:
Ritchie's latest homoerotic guy bonding homicidal spree, might be termed a London mafia musical fueled by global capitalism's shaky economic indicators, going toe to toe with the underground urban economy's crimelords in cutthroat competition. Literally. ![]()
More...
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