After thoroughly enjoying Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, I parked his RocknRolla on the DVR. Took me a while to get around to watching the movie, which was definitely a mistake. RocknRolla is a pretty damn good flick.
RocknRolla follows the Ritchie standard playbook incorporating multiple threads of somewhat bumbling London gangsters to both comic and action packed effect. The trigger point is a mega-stadium being built by a Russian billionaire, Uri Omovich. Omovich needs certain construction permits “taken care of quickly” and turns to long-standing English crime kingpin Lenny Cole to make it happen. Uri also lends Cole his lucky painting, which immediately gets nicked.
Of course mayhem and hilarity promptly ensue. I shouldn’t oversell Lenny and Uri as the movie really revolves around One Two, Mumbles, and Handsome Rob, key members of The Wild Bunch crew. RocknRolla is a little less frenetic and kinetic than Snatch, but it still moves. Plus it’s damn funny. RocknRolla is really a comedy caper at heart, with a nice dose of action.
Herewith some highlights:
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A great cast including: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Idris Elba, Jeremy Piven, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Karel Roden, and Toby Kebbell as Johnny Quid
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Great hood names such as, One Two (Butler), Mumbles (Elba), and Handsome Rob
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Some great teasin’ and chappin’ amongst The Wild Bunch
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Archy’s manner which is , well…, rather arch in an exceedingly dry style
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Thandie Newton, as Stella, and Gemma Arterton, as June, are easy on the eyes
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A hilarious dance sequence between Stella and One Two
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The junky philosophical stylings of Johnny Quid and his sidekick, Pedro
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And a great MacGuffin
The tail end of the movie teased a sequel called “The Real RocknRolla”. Looking forward to it.