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"RockNRolla" is something of a return to form for director
Guy Ritchie, who started his career off on a high note with
"Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998), followed
two years later by "Snatch." Then he let his (now ex) wife
star in "Swept Away," and he's been struggling to regain
his cred ever since. With "RockNRolla," he might finally
have done that. ***
"RockNRolla" is smart, fast-paced, and action-packed.
But it's also funny and clever, and edited together in interesting,
delightful, even strange ways. One example: Instead of airing
an entire sex scene, it's a bunch of quick cuts of film
that makes it clear what happened, but in a fun, fast way
that didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable at the movie
theater. ***
Then there's that cast: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson,
Idris Elba, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, Ludacris -- all
perfectly cast in their roles. But the lesser knowns really
steal the movie. I'm talking about Toby Kebbell, who is
so creepy and pathetically good as crackhead loser Johnny
Quid; Tom Hardy as ladies'-man-turned-gay Handsome Bob;
and Mark Strong as the lead crime boss's primary henchman.
Ritchie really couldn't have gone wrong with a cast this
rock solid, but the script and filmmaking are also top-notch.
***
It's sort of a web-of-life film, where everything's
connected. But instead of being sap-filled, feel-good, this-is-how-we're-all-connected
treacle, it's about how everyone's connected in the London
underworld, from the crackheads to the low-level thugs,
to the new-to-town Russian crime bosses, to the man who
rules London organized crime, Lenny (Wilkinson), and even
the government pawns who help it all happen. ***
It's not a simple plot to follow, though, because Ritchie
moves fast. But it's worth tuning and paying attention for
the many rewards. ---
Image & Sound:
As Tank (Nonso Anozie) says to Archy about "The Remains
of the Day" (which he's watching in his SUV, natch), "Glorious
picture, and the sound's exquisite." True here, too. You
couldn't ask for a higher-quality film image, with a couple
exceptions: At times the intentional graininess and color
schemes (mostly yellows and blues) can get a little distracting,
and in high-def, the green screens outside of car windows
are pretty noticeable -- a problem in a movie that has people
driving around as often as this one. The sound is exquisite,
though, with just the right levels on the music so it's
not drowning out the talking that's taking place. So many
Blu-rays crank the music up too loud, so this is a nice
change of pace.
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