Guy Ritchie has had a few lean years as of late. His wife has assumed near Cher-like levels of past-prime popdom and his recent films have been clunkers to say the least.
But then, early this year Ritchie blew me away with his cocky, visual fresh Nike ad : Next Level. This seemed to be a sign of Ritchie reclaiming his cinematic and pop cultural verve. And RocknRolla, his latest hard-edged, London underbelly caper comedy almost delivers the goods required to put him back on top.
It's safe to say the visual edge is there, with numerous camera tricks, percussive edits and high octane sequences slapping viewers across the face (with the back of the hand of course) more than enough to keep things interesting.
And there are some great performances from the likes of Gerard Butler (300) and Idris Elba (HBO's The Wire), main tough guys and plotters behind a low level criminal ring known as the Wild Bunch. These two and their pals, who are based out of a typically sleazy bookies office and crime friendly bar find themselves conveniently at the centre of a web of interconnected heists involving a few too many coincidences.
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