Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

A rampage of four groups of crafty gangsters with an innovative screenplay and direction that started a new sub-genre. I feel a little guilty to give only four stars to a film that indisputably has a place among the best gangster movies. If I had seen it in 1998, before Snatch, which is even more polished, I wouldn’t hesitate to award it five. (14/09/2011)

A wonderful story from the underworld. I haven't had this much fun with a film in a long time, not since I watched, to the sound of music from Zorba the Greek, a criminal gang preparing to shoot another gang, but which was also preparing, and yet neither side knows exactly who is up against them and what their objectives are. Guy Ritchie already brought out everything I love about his films in his debut. Plus Sting. (15/03/2021)

Several groups of dimwits chase each other for two hours in an attempt to steal money, drugs and guns in a Tarantino-like gangster film with (attempts at) typically English humour. The full-blown finale is satisfying, but the rest not so much. The forefather of most cheesy indie underground gangster films – so I can understand the high ratings out of sentiment and pioneering, but the bottom line is that it's a total (un)funny mess. That’s it. (23/11/2021)

The incredibly well-thought-out script, which beautifully leads to a typically "Ritchie-esque" ending from the very first scenes, hand in hand with refined execution, forms a unique whole, which is a joy to watch with pure cinematic pleasure. By strict standards, the carefully dosed blend of violence, pitch-black humor, and all sorts of absurdity are filmed at a rapid pace, where detailed camera movements persist, just like the quick editing or low-angle shots of the slowly walking characters. But beware, this is no Michael Bay film! Ritchie has a very distinctive storytelling style in which he somehow omits the main characters and only outlines the diverse panorama of London's underworld. It must be acknowledged that due to the effort to be witty and cool at all costs, sometimes Ritchie slips into gratuitousness, and the plot becomes overly contrived. But who cares if you're rolling on the floor laughing? I certainly don’t. (17/11/2005)

Maybe Ritchie took over the genre of witty gangster films from Tarantino, but both here and especially in Snatch, he proved that Quentin, with his first films, can skate. I'll probably never understand how a screenplay with such characters (the black guy from the bar speaks for everyone), plot (half a million, junkies, machine gun, cop, and a lot more), and directorial gimmicks, with which Guy completely brims, can be invented. Chill soundtrack, the beginning of a new era, and the creation of a cult parody. (18/02/2006)