RocknRolla (2008)

Director:

Guy Ritchie

Writer:

Guy Ritchie (written by)

Release Date:

31 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

A story of sex, thugs and rock 'n roll.

Plot:

In London, a real-estate scam puts millions of pounds up for grabs, attracting some of the city's scrappiest tough guys and its more established underworld types, all of whom are looking to get rich quick. While the city's seasoned criminals vie for the cash, an unexpected player -- a drugged out rock 'n' roller presumed to be dead but very much alive -- has a multi-million dollar prize fall into his hands.

Plot Keywords:

Accountant | Painting | Crack Head | Hit By Truck | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Gerard Butler	...	One Two
Tom Wilkinson	...	Lenny Cole
Thandie Newton	...	Stella
Mark Strong	...	Archy
Idris Elba	...	Mumbles
Tom Hardy	...	Handsome Bob
Karel Roden	...	Uri Omovich
Toby Kebbell	...	Johnny Quid
Jeremy Piven	...	Roman
Ludacris	...	Mickey (as Chris Bridges)
Jimi Mistry	...	Councillor
Matt King	...	Cookie
Geoff Bell	...	Fred the Head
Dragan Micanovic	...	Victor
Michael Ryan	...	Pete

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, violence, drug use and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Russian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44080) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:16 | France:U | Argentina:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Sweden:15 | Peru:14 | South Korea:18 | Iceland:16 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Barbican, London, England, UK

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Actor Matt King, who plays Cookie in this film, actually played director Guy Ritchie in spoof Channel 4 show "Star Stories" (2006), in the episode 'Madonna: The Wife's Life'.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Lenny tells his henchmen the painting's been stolen, Bandy asks "where was it then?", his shirt collar is unbuttoned, sticking out of his jacket. Though when the camera cuts back to him, he is wearing a tie and his collar is buttoned. Then when it cuts back to him, his collar is unbuttoned and sticking out again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Archie: People ask the question... what's a RocknRolla? And I tell 'em - it's not about drums, drugs, and hospital drips, oh no. There's more there than that, my friend. We all like a bit of the good life - some the money, some the drugs, other the sex game, the glamour, or the fame. But a RocknRolla, oh, he's different. Why? Because a real RocknRolla wants the fucking lot.

Movie Connections:

References Jaws (1975)

Soundtrack:

Mirror In The Bathroom

If this movie's rockin'…

Throughout his career, director Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock Stock and two Smokin' Barrels) has slowly gathered a cult-like following, ensuring that his movies, be they good or bad, will always earn a few dollars from loyal fans. With his 2006 release of Revolver, many of his avid followers found new 'stylistic' directors to drool over, the movie itself receiving mostly negative reviews as a majority of moviegoers claimed it to be 'all style and no substance'. His latest release, RocknRolla, shows Ritchie returning to his roots of gangster oriented, moronic villain centered, hit-man featuring fun. It's a welcome return.

RocknRolla is an ensemble piece, centering on many, many characters while remaining surprisingly capable of not focusing on any one member of the never-ending cast. Gerard Butler (300) plays a good-hearted crook for hire by the name of One-Two, a member in a group of 5 blood-to-bones friends, each of which doubles as a partner in crime. The main focus in the gangster-related circle of characters is Lenny Cole, a ruthless, old fashioned thug brought to life by Oscar-nominated Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton).

The movie truly begins 15 minutes or so after the rather unique opening credits, which in itself foreshadows Ritchie's stylistic thematic which circulates throughout the movie. The eclectically charged plot follows Lenny Cole and his cohorts as they meet and greet Uri, a seemingly reasonable Russian mobster, as the two speak real-estate business. Cole, a self-proclaimed "King of London", runs each and every aspect of London, and agrees to allow the Russians their building – for a small sum of 7 million Euros. Agreeing, Uri offers Lenny his favourite painting as a token of appreciation, a hopeful symbol that all will go well.

From this point on, viewers are treated to a mishmash of confusing twists, an infinite pallet of characters, and some of the most intelligent writing to hit Hollywood in years. The afore-mentioned painting is stolen from Cole, and a search ensues throughout the entire movie, eventually leading to Johnny Quid (Jamie Campbell), the lead singer of The Quidlickers, and step-son to none other than Lenny himself. Quid, also known as "The Rocknrolla", represents a solid contrast to his devilish step-father. Providing monologue after brilliant monologue, Quid becomes a character of classic cool, embodying olden day suave with modern day style, a true to time Rocknrolla.

As with every one of Ritchie's gifts to the silver screen, the subtle yet slick script throws the few negative aspects of the movie to the backburner, leaving only pure gold to shimmer and shine. With a never ending stream of British mannerisms combined with over-seas terminology, North American viewers are faced with a rather tricky dilemma: Sit through a movie that may require a small amount of effort to comprehend due to it's foreign tendencies, or instead rely on Dicaprio and Mr. Crowe to deliver yet another bland, meaningless CIA centered action movie in the form of now premiering Body Of Lies. Unfortunately for the masses that truly enjoy a movie with an intelligent script, box office numbers generally speak poorly for Guy Ritchie's films on our side of the pond, his movies usually making no more than a few hundred thousand dollars, only to become cult hits once released on DVD.

Viewers may be shocked to see Gerard Butler (best known for his overly masculine performance as King Leonidas in 300) hidden amongst an amazing yet unknown cast, with each actor holding their own and providing more than authentic performances. It is a rare yet beautiful sight to behold, a cast full of actors that have not yet been granted the "fame" or spotlight, yet manage to upstage a majority of the actors that we are presented on a day to day basis. It is beyond sad, the least can be said, to see Chris Bridges – A.K.A. Ludicrous (2 Fast 2 Furious) – and Jeremey Pivens (Smokin' Aces) failing miserably in their attempt to act in brief yet important cameo performances, also singled out as the only two American actors in the film, their "talent" shadowed and overcast by the nobodies surrounding them.

To those readers out there who are contemplating seeing this not-quite-so-common piece of theatre in the form of British Cinema, it is best for you to know there are many worse things you can do. Director Guy Ritchie weaves an intricate quilt the likes of which hasn't been since his debut to theatres, managing to create a truly witty film from nothing more than a missing painting. Definitely a must see.

5 out of 5 stars