Review: RocknRolla

RocknRolla

OPENING: 10/08/2008

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
“If a slap don’t work, you cut him or you pay him. But you keep your receipts ‘cuz this ain’t the Mafia.” –Archy

Opening Statement
With the wildly entertaining Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and his studio-backed follow-up effort Snatch, Guy Ritchie burst onto the scene with his brand of witty, intricately woven action-comedy. Soon after, the English writer-director’s reputation as a filmmaker took a back seat to his notoriety as Madonna’s husband. He directed, and she starred, in the critically lambasted Swept Away and Ritchie’s slow climb out of the career hole continued with the straight-to-video Revolver. So it is a pleasure and a relief to report that his new crime comedy RocknRolla is solid entertainment. Oh sure, it does feel familiar in many places, but it’s so satisfying to see a fighter back on his feet.

Facts of the Case
Real estate is where the money’s at in today’s London and everyone wants a piece of the action. Old time gangster Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton) has reinvented himself as a development kingpin who works backroom deals to speed up the permits process for his clients. A pair of low-rent thieves, known as the Wild Bunch, owes him 2 million pounds after their attempt to buy and convert a building falls through — thanks to Lenny’s own intervention. A wealthy Russian named Uri has contracted Lenny’s help to get his redevelopment project approved. As a gesture of good faith the superstitious Russian lends his favorite lucky painting to Lenny. Stella, Uri’s talented “creative” accountant, plots to steal from her employer the money intended for Lenny and hires the Wild Bunch to pull it off. Meanwhile, the painting is stolen from Lenny’s house and the word on the street is that it’s in the possession of Johnny Quid, a junky rock star who has been reported dead (the third time this year). With multiple eyes on the prizes, it’s only a matter of time before the trajectory of these characters meet in violent and hilarious ways.

The Evidence
Guy Ritchie returns to familiar territory — geographically and creatively — with RocknRolla and that’s not a bad thing. Moving between the playgrounds of successful gangsters and the haunts of struggling crooks, this view of London strikes the right balance between the old and new to complement the story’s theme of criminals overreaching their boundaries. On one end of the spectrum there are the worn brick buildings of lived-in neighborhoods. This is the realm where the Wild Bunch hangs out. One Two (Gerald Butler, P.S. I Love You) would try to go legitimate if it wasn’t for Lenny putting the brakes on his business plans. Then there is the London of high-rise buildings, golf courses, yachts and stadiums: it’s built on money, often foreign investment, sometimes dirty. High rollers like Uri want in on this new opportunity. Lenny, the established racketeer, likes to think he controls it all.

The multiple and overlapping storylines will remind viewers of Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Snatch. To a certain degree the characters also feel like close facsimiles to previous protagonists. It is easy to imagine this actor substituting for Jason Statham or that part possibly being played by Brad Pitt. But that’s a little unfair and probably speaks more to how memorable Ritchie’s earlier films are rather than the limitations demonstrated here. The assembled cast deliver solid performances, some unique and others unique variations on characters that have an aura of familiarity.

Tom Wilkinson is enjoyably villainous as the old school mobster who thinks London grows or collapses on his order. He almost invites sympathy when he realizes he’s in deep trouble unless he can recover the Russian’s painting. Mark Strong (Body of Lies) is quietly effective as Archy, Lenny’s second-in-command, a loyal tough guy with an attitude of righteous dignity about him. Gerald Butler is very funny as One Two, the leader of the Wild Bunch but perhaps its least observant member. His confident macho personality is completely undone by a friend’s revelation. Thandie Newton (W) accomplishes much by seeming to do so little. Her body language says bored, beautiful and expensive (translation: trouble) and she brings enough sexy cool to unsettle the mix of tough guys.

Ritchie’s filmmaking is much improved this time around. Though he goes through plot mechanics similar to his first two features, his pacing is much more consistent here and he avoids the lulls that made me a bit impatient with Snatch. The story is crowded with characters but it holds together quite well on screen and the intertwining plot is easier to follow than it at first seems. The supporting roles are also handled well by Karel Roden (Hellboy) as the Russian; Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (Max Payne) and Jeremy Piven (Entourage) as a pair of concert promoters being muscled by Lenny; and Toby Kebbell (Control) as Johnny Quid, the enigmatic rock star who doesn’t want to be found.

Closing Statement
Calling this Ritchie’s best movie in years is an understatement. The story revisits familiar territory but his direction is in top form and we’re reminded of the potential of the pre-Madonna filmmaker. Though RocknRolla doesn’t have the freshness of Lock, Stock, it improves on the pacing, characterizations and humor. Throw in some excellent cinematography and a rockin’ soundtrack and we have an exciting caper-comedy that shows Ritchie can still handle this genre. With another good one to his credit, perhaps audiences will be ready when Ritchie tries something different in his next project.

The Verdict
8/10

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