Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a major British comedy-drama film that was released in 1998. It is a gangster film set in the East End of London and heavily features Cockney dialogue. The film was directed and written by Madonna’s ex Guy Ritchie. The film brought international recognition to the Guy Ritchie Film Directory and also to actors Vinnie Jones (who was a former Wales footballer international) and Jason Statham (formerly a street trader). Since then, the actors have starred in many more movies, and Guys directed more successful movies, including a couple of flops.
To sum up the story of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels for those who haven’t seen it, it’s about a certain Eddy played by Nick Moran who loses £500,000 to a powerful crime lord in a three card swagger game that it was rigged. To pay off his debts, he decides to rob a small-time gang with his friends. The gang turns out to be neighbors and Eddy and his friends set up recording equipment to record the gang’s conversations. They overhear that the gang is organizing a large number of marijuana dealers and decide to intercept the drug shipment. They successfully do so only to discover that the pot actually belongs to the man they wanted to fence off.
I think this is an amazing movie, it has a lot of funny moments and is entertaining from start to finish. The plot is a bit complex but it is understandable and enjoyable. I often get lost with full plots, but I managed to keep up with this one. The way Guys directed it is remarkable. I can’t explain it, but it’s like the camera is alive. It seems to change pace and focus depending on the scene. There’s probably an apt word in the filming industry to best describe this. You have to see it to really understand what I’m talking about.
The movie is pretty violent, which usually turns me off, but it’s not for some reason. The humor that runs through it and the whole package makes it very enjoyable. Fans of this iconic movie can take a tour and see all the locations used in the movie. You can also get detailed information about how the movie was made and also meet one of the actors Stephen Marcus who played Nick the Greek. On the tour you can learn about some of the East End’s most notorious mobsters such as the Krays, George Cornell, Freddie Foreman and Ronnie Knight who ruled London during the 1950s and 1960s.
