Review of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) by Jay L — 30 Apr 2011

Mixing farce with a seedy criminal underworld is audacious, but Ritchie proves it can be done. This predecessor to his equally outrageous Snatch is just as funny and zany, with some hilarious coincidences and turns in the plot that keeps the audience on their toes.

The writing is consistently full, never showy and always entertaining. The characters too are vibrant and vivacious, feeding off the fecundity of the crackling script. This movie, like Snatch, favors plot over character, so this isn't a tale of redemption or character growth; it's just a good old fashioned farce with lots of laughs and mayhem.