| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 09/10/2008 : 13:22:20
RocknRolla
All I'm gonna say at this point is Idris Elba. As Mumbles he is the primary reason to see Ritche's curate's egg. If there were any justice in the world he would be a BIG star ... maybe there's still time.
More later.now.
It's almost redundant to note Ritchie's ability as a director who can pace an action scene, who can effectively rip off some Tarantino wit and paste it onto the mouth of an East End geezer, know wot I mean, my son, me old china. Catch my drift. Eat my dirt.
Tom Wilkinson - capable of just-below-greatness - channels Michael Caine's voice in a body that speaks of the school of hard knocks that got him to the top of the tree from which height he shits coconuts on the bonces of the ponces. If there's an inheritor of The Kray twins and Jack the Hat McVittie - Wilkinson's Lenny Cole.
Actually, there's a lot of solid acting elbowing its way past the stench that's wafting in from this sewer of a script ... and, as already noted, one example of great screen presence.
And then there's Gerald Butler. Why is this dullard being encouraged to keep acting instead of having a nice life selling shoes or something. For I'm sure offscreen he's a perfectly reasonable chap.
So that's one big dilemma. On the one hand: Bunch of decent thesps secretly wondering why they sweated through those difficult years of voice production, fencing, and spear-carrying roles ... all to appear in this cesspit of a story and help waft something rose-scented over it.
And, lonely over there on the other hand - a great big cheesy-grin of a grade A prize ham, always a beat off the truth, a tad late with a real emotion. But grubby enough to fit the face of a rufty-tufty.
I won't bore you with the tale of
> why a Russian property mogul is using the skills he sharpened as a post-Soviet shark to re-mark the territory of estuary London, leaving his trail of piss and blood, and buying up all and sundry with cash he treats like monopoly notes.
> Or how he uses and abuses the geezer's code of honour, which Wilkinson may even half-believe, to cross and be crossed and double-cross and re-cross. Which is enough crosses to start his own church, which in a manner of speaking he does.
> Or why a smart, slick chick super accountant with a shimmy in her walk and those Thandie Newton eyes decides she can't be quite satisfied with her percentage of nastiness, but must scheme for more.
> Or how Wilkinson's emotionally traumatized and thoroughly drugs-ridden step-son lands in the deep poo-poo and pulls himself into the fresh air with the help of his dad's right hand man and his own former posh-school adversary.
> Or how the deficient Butler and the genius Elba moosh together as flunkies to tie the strands together.
Just watch your step in this wholly superfluous world. Not that I doubt for a moment such shenanigans go down every day, but what Ritchie fails to do is elevate this cliched stuff into anything that might convince us he understands what art is for.
Feh!
Now wash your hands.
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| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| rabid kazook |
Posted - 03/30/2009 : 20:24:53
quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
Artistically, I thought Bronson was great.
 (me salivating)
quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
Just not sure about glorifying the real man.
Do you mean "not sure about glorifying violence, glorifying a madman"?
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| Demisemicenturian |
Posted - 03/30/2009 : 19:41:20
Artistically, I thought Bronson was great. Just not sure about glorifying the real man. |
| rabid kazook |
Posted - 03/30/2009 : 19:26:23
I like the first two Ritchie's movies better. I like this a lot too, but those movies are genius. 'Enjoyed Revolver too.
Anybody of you seen Tom Hardy's A Clockwork Bronson? Should be a knockout experience! |
| randall |
Posted - 03/29/2009 : 16:29:41
The best Ritchie by far. He's one of the few stylists who's able to make in-your-face pyrocinematics actually work in service to the story. Pulls some laughs out too, by virtue of sheer tech creativity. I loved the lowlife accents, especially Tom Wilkinson's. Butler served the story quite well, if vanilla-y; he's the British Matthew Fox. Like Tarantino, Ritchie serves up beautiful speeches for nearly everybody. Jeremy Piven and Ludacris were the ones who were out of place, but you didn't have to suffer that very much. Let's go with the sequel! |
| Demisemicenturian |
Posted - 10/15/2008 : 13:58:47
quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
And then there's Gerald Butler. Why is this dullard being encouraged to keep acting instead of having a nice life selling shoes or something.
Gerard. Summat to do with the fact that he's a total delight, I expect. 
I enjoyed this film a lot, but then I've only seen Lock, Stock,... apart from this (years ago), so it may hold more novelty for me for that reason. Apart from the unbearable snapshot scene in the bar, had to love the storyline with Butler and his best mate. (I feel as though I've said that before, but no idea where.) |
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