Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Director: Guy Ritchie

Writers: Guy Ritchie

Release Date: 28 August 1998 (UK)

Genre: Comedy/ Crime/ Thriller

Produced By: Stephen Marks (executive producer), Georgia Masters (co-producer), Peter Morton (executive producer), Angad Paul (executive producer), Sebastian Pearson (associate producer), Jan Roldanus (associate producer), Trudy Styler (executive producer), Steve Tisch (executive producer), Jon Slan (executive producer), Ronaldo Vasconcellos (line producer), Matthew Vaughn (producer)

Production Companies: Summit Entertainment, The Steve Tisch Company, SKA Films, HandMade Films, Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Distributors: The Steve Tisch Company, Universal Pictures, Gramercy Pictures, BV-film AS, Falcon, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Distribution, REP Distribution, United International Pictures (UIP), Warner Sogefilms S.A, BDG, Columbia Home Video, Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International, Columbia TriStar Home Video, LK-TEL, PolyGram Video, Universal Pictures Canada, V8
Special Effects: Cinesite (digital effects), Ken Lailey Effects

Sound Mix:Dolby Digital

User Ratings:

Males- 8.2

Females- 7.7

Aged Under 18- 8.5

Males Under 18- 8.6

Females Under 18- 6.5

Aged 18-29- 8.4

Males 18-29- 8.4

Females 18-29- 8.3

Aged 30-44- 7.9

Males 30-44- 8.0

Females 30-44- 7.8

User Comment:

**********- CriticNick

"I suppose the most obvious feature of this movie is that it is beautifully balanced between being serious and humorous at the same time. The characters are two-dimensional. The villains are menacing, and yet they are made to look like idiots, and the good guys think they are so smart yet keep getting the rug pulled from under them. They are all projected as 'cool' yet the situation is always out of their control. Maybe it could be called a satire on true life."

"I haven't even mentioned the excellent and unique camerawork, speaker blowing soundtrack, beautifully threaded plot, perfect ending and the grittiest visuals I've seen. You wont see any reflective glass laden sky scrapers here, or 'over head city shots', or incredible special effects. This movie has actors I have never heard of, dialogues that you have to rewind and replay to understand, buildings that look as though they have been condemned for demolition, cars that wouldn't even be seen in our scrap yards, has probably been made with a budget that most movies in Hollywood use for make-up alone, has no love scenes, or romance or complex relationships, no Oscar-worthy performances, and yet is perfect entertainment."

The first shot you see in LSTSB is a group people crowding a salesman. The man is selling goods illegally, so it is quite like the black market trade utilised in The Third Man. A cultural signifier is recognised almost immediately; the accents of the characters gives away the fact that they are from London. A mid close-up of the salesman is used and then the camera tracks round to the crowd, showing the interest in his quick sales. This is followed by police sirens; the men abandon the sales and run when the police come, suggesting that they are bad characters with criminal behaviours- a common convention of characters in thriller films. The use of gritty, unglamorous locations (wet floors, empty warehouses, garages etc) also refer to the thriller genre as it is something that is utilised in almost all of them. This film is shot in an urban/ city area, with blurred streets and a generally dark mise-en-scene; key lighting is used to highlight some characters and events occurring.

The main storyline of the film involves money and debt, suggesting crime. Aswell as the dark clothing and long coats; this is seen alot in thrillers, especially older thrillers and film noirs. The group of three men used in Once Upon a Time in America is used in this film too, suggesting that they stick together and that they are quite intimidating/ menacing. Violence is often incorporated in thriller films, as it is in this one; the character Harry dips someone's head in a barrel and there is the constant suggestion of violence through the dialogue used and the use of guns being featured in it. A shocking shot is of a man hanging from the ceiling and having knives thrown at him- this shows really extreme violent behaviour and reminds the audience of the criminal and thrilling aspects of the film. You see a scar on the face of one of the characters, causing them to be seen as having a dark past- this also makes the character immediately suspicious of them.

The boss owns a sex shop, this automatically reflects that he is a sleazy, seedy character. A low angle shot is used when the group enter a building, this makes the building tower over slightly, making you feel wary. This is reinforced by the characters' body language- it seems as if they are trying to be inconspicuous. Drugs are another suggestion of bad character used in LSTSB. There is a cage-type thing around the doorway of the drug den for security which refers to their criminal activity and could be suggestive of a prison cell.

British signifiers used in this film include a red phone box, the characters accents and some colloquialisms used. Phrases like "northern monkey" and "southern fairy" are both unmistakably british insults. Comedy is used in the dialogue- hence the sub-genre of the film. Close ups, extreme close ups and low angle shots are all used to reveal more about the characters- the low angle shots particularly create suspicion and an ominous feeling. Shadows (a common feature of the thriller genre) are utilised in this film along with the characters use of a torch. Stairs are often used in thrillers and they are used in this film, along with large shadows of the characters feet stretching across them. A rare feature of the film that i noticed was that at certain points a shot would be frozen and then a voice over would be used. Close ups of luggage are used quite a lot in thrillers also, to suggest that there is something in it to be wary of; this aspect is used in LSTSB in the form of a close up of a duffel bag.

This is not a conventional thriller as it uses dry humour; humour isn't something that is seen a lot in the thriller genre and so i think it makes the film stand out from others.