Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels


Oh, mama. There's a lot to like about this fabulous British film about "lads" and their need for money. I'm only pissed off that all the first reviews are good ones. I'd love to lash a flick for you. Oh well, you'll have to wait. Anyhoo, one of the nicest surprises, but certainly not the only pleasantry, is the cameo of Sting as one of the main character's father. Mmmm... Sting. Trudie Styler, Sting's horse-like, bunny breeding wife, was an executive producer on the flick, so there you go. Evidently, the director of this movie, Guy someone or other, has a little hissy fit if you bring up Quentin Tarantino or Pulp Fiction when discussing his movie, but he can keep right on tap dancing because there's no denying the influence QT had on Lock, Stock. This is no insult, Mr. Guy, you didn't rip the film off, you just used a style and theme that worked once before. One of the interesting things about Lock, Stock is the casting of real "hooligans". Amidst the young british actors are real-life loonballs like Vinnie Jones, a European freak most often compared to Dennis Rodman, but with more bite. Jones used to be a soccer player or something huge like that, but he does one of the finest acting jobs in Lock, Stock, playing Big Chris, a criminal with an interesting set of morals due to his devotion to his son, Little Chris. There's wit and charm abound here, a different kind of "British film" for the trailer trash in all of us. Fuck Howard's End - see Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.