RockNRolla (2008)

Art Alecs

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy RockNRolla on DVD

For his fifth feature film, Guy Ritchie happily ignores his previous two misfires (Swept Away and Revolver) and goes back to what he does best, making dime-store, knockoff pulp thrillers. Like the very fun Snatch (2000), the new RockNRolla is an ensemble piece. It begins with veteran gangster Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson) -- though he would bristle at the word "gangster." He controls most of London, moving large amounts of money as well as permits and legal papers to his advantage. A Russian thug, Uri (Karel Roden) appeals to him for help in building a new stadium, and Lenny charges him 7 million euros for his services. Meanwhile, Uri lets Lenny borrow a prized, "lucky" painting until the deal is done. Unfortunately, someone steals it from Lenny's study. (The painting is an old-fashioned MacGuffin; we never see it, and everyone wants it.) Lenny's number one man, Archy (Mark Strong), is in charge of getting the painting back. It turns out that Lenny's stepson, a rock star named Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell), now has it. Johnny has been reported dead and is living the life of a carefree junkie. Meanwhile, a sexy, bored accountant, Stella (Thandie Newton), lets her sometime boyfriend, known as "One Two" (Gerard Butler) know about the 7 million, and so he and his pals (Idris Elba and Tom Hardy) arrange to steal it. This makes Uri nervous, and he demands his painting back. And so it goes. Jeremy Piven and Chris Bridges play Johnny Quid's American managers, and Jimi Mistry plays the crooked "Councillor." The film lacks the rich flavor of Snatch, and some of the plot threads don't add up: one character, called "Tank" (Nonso Anozie) -- who likes to watch The Remains of the Day -- shows up promising important information that goes unused. But overall, Ritchie keeps up the energy, clarity and speed, and at the very least Wilkinson gives a ferocious performance.

Also, get your "RockNRollascope" read at the official website.

DVD Details: The DVD from Warner Home Video comes with a commentary track, slightly more lively than usual thanks to the presence of actor Mark Strong, along with director Ritchie. Then we get a slick little featurette, a deleted scene and a bunch of trailers at startup. There's also a second disc with a digital version of the movie. Also available on Blu-Ray.

With: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, Thandie Newton, Tom Hardy, Toby Kebbell, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Jeremy Piven, Idris Elba, Karel Roden, Nonso Anozie, Jimi Mistry
Written by: Guy Ritchie
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, violence, drug use and brief sexuality
Running Time: 114 minutes
Date: October 31, 2008