Review: RocknRolla

What is it with Guy Ritchie and “Caper” films??? Is the man really a one-trick pony?

That is at least what I think.

After watching 2008’s RocknRolla, I am starting to think so.

Ritchie, whose previous forays in directing include Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch, as well as the 2009 Blockbuster: Sherlock Holmes, really did not stray too much from the formula this outing.

RocknRolla starts Gerard Butler (Gamer, 300) as One Two, the leader of a gang of thugs known as The Wild Bunch. The film’s narrator, Archy, played by Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass) also serves as one of the antagonists of the film, second in command to Lenny Cole, played by Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins, The Ghost Writer).

The plot is a mish-mash of this guy trying to steal from this guy, who’s being conned by that guy. Basically, everything circles around every other character in the film, leaving you to ask: Who’s conning whom? Short and skinny, everyone is conning everyone. Bottom line.

The film plays out fairly well on the screen. Visually, it is not that bad of a movie. However, the fact is, is that the plot is reasonably predictable, and the characters aren’t completely likeable, nor are their back-stories all that relatable.

The actors themselves deliver good performances, but that can only take a film so far. I even found myself not caring too much for Jeremy Piven’s (HBO’s Entourage) character, Roman all that much, as much as I love Jeremy Piven.

Gerard Butler is a certified star, undoubtedly. I just feel that this wasn’t his best film out there. It was nice to see a less-Americanized version of him on the big screen.

The thing that I find with Ritchie, as a film director, is that his style almost wants to be more than what it actually is. He’s actually able to take a smaller-sized budget and go with it, and in some cases, make a film profitable. I still find myself not immersed into his films. As much as I want to be, I always find his films lacking a certain X-factor that I cannot pinpoint. Even Sherlock Holmes, I found could have been a lot better.

I would recommend this film to people who like Ritchie’s other films. There is really not much of a difference between them, in my opinion.

I give RocknRolla 4 ½ out of 10.