Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels [1998] [VHS]

Definitely a must in any Blu-Ray collection... I love this film and the quality is massively improved to my VHS version that hasn't seen the light of day in a while..

One of Britains greatest and most loved gangster movies, a classic film for any fan of rough and ready gangster flick. If you enjoyed this try "The Level" another British classic that wont disapoint.

Irreverent, violent and wickedly clever, this smart-mouthed UK crime picture concerns four nice loveable rouges who get into some bad company and must get themselves out before things get really ugly. Cardsharp Eddie wheedles his way into a high stakes game run by a unpleasant porn peddler and all-around nasty villain Hatchet Harry, thinking he can turn his £100,000 stake into some really big money. But the game's rigged and Eddie walks away owing Harry £500,000; if he doesn't pay up in a week, Harry's gangsters will take Eddie's dad's bar in lieu of the cash. Oh, and three-quarters of the original stake belonged to Eddie's three pals, who can ill-afford to lose that kind of money. Fortunately, the flat next door to Eddie's houses four extravagantly loud ammeter and incompetent coke sniffing weed selling drug dealing thieves and the walls are very thin: so Eddie knows the blundering baddies have a big score in the works, and ripping them off to appease Hatchet Harry seems a reasonable way out of the mess. When it comes to characters, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels boasts no fewer than 22 significant roles. Many of the actors are not recognizable faces. In fact, a few of them are making their motion picture debuts. For the most part, everyone does a solid job essaying one of the various inept thugs or criminals. Those familiar with the British soap "Eastenders" will find that any of the characters from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels would fit into the neighborhood of Albert Square with little difficulty ( Some have even ended up there) . Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels has plenty of laughs and a few surprises to offer to all but the most squeamish of viewers. It's a superior thriller made with the guts and gusto that too many recycled entries into the genre fail to exhibit. It's a slickly edited movie with no real stand-out performances (in fact some of the London accents are well dodgy), but the presence of soccer hardman Vinnie Jones, making his surprisingly effective acting debut. This larky, self-aware crime picture has Tarantino-esque written all over it. First-time writer-director Guy Ritchie appears to have been paying attention to what made Reservoir Dogs work. Consequently, his film has both characters and a story, complicated by a slew of carefully worked out intertwing subplots involving boneheaded burglars, antique shotguns, yuppie hydroponic dope farmers, Debit Collectors, Hit men, Jamaican drug dealers and multiple gangs of hard. The film relies uniquely on heavily on ironic plot twists, blink and you will be lost. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is appreciating the way in which the story unfolds, using both expected and unanticipated turns to enhance the comic flavor. To the very end, the movie manages to be unpredictable, and it never loses its sense of humor. Surface likenesses aside, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is actually a kinder, gentler motion picture than Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction. While there's as much violence. All of the most vicious acts occur off screen. We see the ramifications, but we miss the genuine brutality. This effectively distances the viewer from the bloodshed, allowing us to see the proceedings in an almost surreal light. If the criminal ranks in London are comprised of losers like this, it's a wonder that anyone gets away with anything.

my mate could not believe it when i said i thouht it was boring, but it is. The only decent and good things is Vinnie Jones, apart frm that it is very un-funny bad acting and terrible cockney accent. Want to see a good britis gangster film see get carter

Always wanted to see it after watching Snatch - not let down - it was great. Well done all and especailly Vinny.

This information only relates to the Jan 25th, 2010 Blu-Ray release from Universal UK. Although this product is advertised as being the 114 minute version (i.e, the Director's Cut), it sadly is just the plain 108 minute theatrical release. I informed Amazon about this some time ago; but the information listed at present is still incorrect. The PQ and AQ (although being DTS HD MA) is nothing to write home about. Obviously it is a low-budget flick, but it could certainly be imporoved on while still being faithful to the source material. Judging by other reviews it appears that this release is identical to the one released in the states last year--which received lukewarm reviews precisely due to the technical aspects. I am hoping the _actual_ 114 minute version is not too far away, and that the studio puts more effort into ensuring it receives a quality transfer that time around.

Such a funny film, very very funny with a great amount of shoot em up action! I would definately reccomend

Guy Richie set the bar high when this film was released. His following film Snatch, although excellent in its own right, for me it never quite reaches the standard set by Lock Stock. The story is about four young men who find themselves endebted to a London gang boss to the tune of a quarter of a million pounds, and who go through various adventures as a consequence. The 'Two Smoking Barrels' refers to a sub plot in which the gang bos tries to get his hands on two valuable antique shotguns. These, plus a brief encounter with a psychotic drug dealer, come together to make a film which is superbly entertaining and very very funny. Highly reccomended.

Four middle aged men attempt to recover a massive debt by stealing money and drugs with only a week to repay the biggest gangster in the business. The first film for writer/director Guy Ritchie was, when released, a refreshing slap in the face of hardcore British crime that had been somewhat lost and with a relatively unknown cast this proved indie works and what a wake up call this was to the dimension of British cinema and film making. After Danny Boyle's refreshingly controversial Trainspotting a few years previously this launched British cinema further onto the world stage through its heavy political gangster world and heavy use of drug and violence. Since Quentin Tarantino arrived in the early 1990's violence and drugs in cinema have been dealt with in a freer environment. Who could forget Mia Wallace's coke taking sequence? And the Brits have followed that through with an equally effective use. Opening with a good fast narration of no nonsense attitude, this is how it is, we have the unseen protagonist showing us who the movers and shakers are and what the game is all about. This quick fire introduction scene setting is great as we can steadily move forward without looking back and whilst there is an overhaul in characters to begin we can settle and watch the adventure unfold. After a cleverly shot card game the main characters find themselves in desperation to recover £500,000 within a week which spells delicious entertainment for all watching as stealing, robbery and gambling are all encoded for ensuing mayhem and just like Snatch and layer Cake this whole situation is exceptionally serious, but has a great balance of being inappropriately humorous. The feet through the table, the attempted unrehearsed robbery even the character one liners will have us chuckling away and this being the catalyst for the future is a great reminder to where it all started. Don't expect any James Bond styling here this is all gung ho action specked dialogue with a rural frustration that spices with dark comedy that makes it unique and is highly appreciated as Guy Ritchie's most thought provoking and equal best. On a personal level I find Snatch to have the edge owing to the excellent montages and easier to distinguish protagonists, not to mention the whole business of fighting intermixed with other crime concepts fits together perfectly. This 1998 picture has a few holes, just a few. There is an overhaul of characters and it is quite hard on first or second viewing to remember who is who and where. Plus the synchronization of perfect timing can backfire in a few scenes. Apart from that and the unnecessary swearing this is a brutally hard riveting crime drama that flies high with comedy and perfectly started the hard nut crime segment of excellent British gangster films. 8/10

The sheer originality, energy and humour of this fim, with not one wasted moment, are still a wonder to behold. To be seen over and over again, great performances allround and the best British film of its type since Trainspotting. This disc includes lots of fascinating extras, all prolonging the pleasure and momentum of the film. Brilliant, brilliant