RocknRolla 2008

RocknRolla 2008 GMPN Review

Category: Action, Crime
Year: 2008
GMPN Rating: 9/10

Fantastic film, such a great surprise! There is a new gang of Russian mobsters in London planning to create a real estate goldmine lead by Uri(Karl Roden). But they need the help of Lenny(Wilkinson) to get permission so he lends him his "lucky painting" this in turn disappears bringing Stella the accountant(Newton) and the Wild Bunch(Elba,Butler,Hardy) into the Fray. Amongst all this Is Rockstar Johnny Quid and his Agents(Kebbell,Piven,Bridges). Get ready for another multi stranded cockney Ritchie film. First of all, so you know, I have been long anticipating this film (I mean who wouldn't just for the cast alone?) so didn't go in with low expectations, they were high and this film still managed to surpass them. Lets start with the aforementioned cast... they are all absolutely fantastic but they are aided by beautifully written characters. Gerard Butler(One Two) and Idris Elba(Mumbles) have more chemistry on screen than most Hollywood romcom leading couples. They snap and crack off each other like they've done it for years. In fact the entire "Wild Bunch" as they are known in the film provide some of its best moments, from a visceral heist scene with some unstoppable Russian heavies(which oozes style) to a hilarious running sub-plot about Bob's(Tom hardy) sexual orientation. Matt King also provides a great turn as the Wild Bunch's in house drug dealer Cookie, he also turns in one of the movies best scenes, an eerie narration on heroine addiction. Wilkinson is firing on all cylinders in a role that could have just been his Carmine Falcone with a cockney accent but manages to be much more as well as pretty scary. But it is Mark Strong who comes up trumps in this storyline, his portrayal of Archie the right hand man is probably the most rounded character in the film, full of humour and wit and with an undeniable likability he steals much of the scenes he appears in. And now on to Toby Kebbell as junkie Rockstar Johnny Quid, this is a role that if the academy were a little less narrow-minded they would consider supporting actor nod. He is scum, but his character is such that he is witty and somewhat of a poet/philosopher, fantastically written and Kebbell plays it brilliant. You are never sure what hes going to do next, I guarantee he will take you by surprise. And now onto the man of the moment, Ritchie. There was a lot of scepticism about this film considering how badly his past two films did critically and commercially. But what is clear from this is that instead of going the safe root and doing a film that will please all he has once again done his own thing the way he wanted to do it and the result is a fantastic piece of film-making. I really hope RocknRolla makes the money it deserves and gets a wider release in America, it is a film that needs to be seen. Its funny, clever, visually stunning and is a perfect example of a man doing things his own way and not succumbing to the pressures of the media. Well