RocknRolla Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Disappointing - A parody of itself

This film wouldn't be too bad if we hadn't seen it all before, and done a whole lot better. The characters are one dimensional, the script is like listening to someone read the Cockney Rhyming Slang dictionary out loud and the story is a bit thin with some very loose ends. I felt the plot was spoon fed to the audience, which is necessary for Amiericans but Mr Ritchie should really give his English audience a bit more credit.

20 minutes into the film I was still forcing myself to enjoy it, but by that point the script had just become laughable and I started to mock the mockney. They kept forcing this notion of a 'RocknRolla' into the plot but it just felt like such a mad up piece of crap that you couldn't take any of it seriously. I left disappointed. More so that they plan on making a sequel with the same characters. Why oh why would you bother!?

A terrible Ritchie attempt

Long gone are the day days of Lock Stock and Snatch. Those early films had a sharp wit and fast pace and excellent casts. They had also had Matthew Vaughan on board. Ever since Vaughan has stopped working with Guy Ritchie, Madonna's ex (as he is known) has directed a shocking run of movies. RocknRolla is the best movie he has made since Snatch, but thats similar to saying that Cyphillis is the best STD. RocknRolla has the similar Ritchie overlapping plot that so desperately wants to ape the clever plotlines and interconnected arcs of early Tarantino. Any movie that has Tom Wilkinson portraying a London gangster is going to be a laughing stock.. he is completely wasted and unconvincing as the crime boss. Will Ferrel would have made a more realisitc cockney gangster. The biggest problem is the script. Ritchie again re-hashes the Lock Stock storyline but inserts weak poorly drawn characters with little grounding in reality (no surprises given Ritchies very privelaged upbringing) Idris Elba..one of the finest actors around is wasted..as is Thandie Newton (seemingly only cast to allow Ritchie slow mo cuts of her walking in a provactive manner). Mark Strong is completey wrong as Wilkinsons no 2 with a laughable mockney accent. Gerrard Butler isnt the best actor but does well with a poor part. The best parts of the film (the reason is gets one star) are the excellent turns from Toby Kebbel and Tom Hardy...two of the very best up and coming actors. The rest of the parts are there simply to support Ritchies usual mix of swearing quick cut editing, unrealisitic violence and crims cooking up 'scores'. Its a shame he has fallen so far from the heady heights of Del Toro and Pitt acutally asking to be his films. RockNrolla is dreadful... mainly due to the script and the editing. Interesting to see the Matthew Vaughan has gone on to prove himself a far superior director with his films. Ritchie needs to the forthcoming Sherlock Holmes to be very very good to rescue his credibility (with downey jnr it should be) but rumours are the miramax have demanded a re-cut such was their shock at what Ritchie had produced). RocknRolla is slighly better than Revolver... but only slighly... dont bother renting it, wait for it to make it onto channel 5... if it can even manage that....