Review of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) by Christopher C — 12 Apr 2011

LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS was Guy Ritche's first major film, using a fairly small budget and a cast of unknowns to create an epic dramatic arc. Four young fellows in London find themselves half a million in debt after the card shark of the bunch loses a rigged poker game. Their own conundrum turns out to fit into a wider pattern of underworld antics, ranging from a crime lord's theft of antique rifles to the pot growing operation of three stoners. The amusing criminal personalities Ritchie came up with, from enforcer "Barry the Baptist" to debt-collector Big Chris (who bring his little son along on his rounds) are some of the most memorable film characters around.

Ritche's next film SNATCH wove the same sort of grandiose story out of disparate criminal strands, with a bigger budget and some Hollywood actors. I think I like that film a little bit more, but LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS is still an entertaining achievement.