The Bottom Line
RocknRolla's reminiscent of filmmaker Guy Ritchie's Snatch and Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels - loaded with colorful characters with colorful names, gangsters, and everything in RocknRolla takes place in Ritchie's favorite city to feature: London. But Ritchie's progressing as a writer and director and RocknRolla isn't just a carbon copy of Ritchie's past successes.
Pros
- Fast-paced, fast-talking fun
- It's Guy Ritchie doing what Guy Ritchie does best
- Terrific acting by the entire cast
- Decent collection of bonus features
Cons
- There's not much of a difference between the Blu-ray version and the DVD
Description
- Starring Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Thandie Newton, Tom Wilkinson and Mark Strong
- Written and directed by Guy Ritchie
- Rated R for pervasive language, violence, drug use and brief sexuality
- DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: January 27, 2009
Guide Review - 'RocknRolla' Blu-ray Review
The Story
Ritchie borrowed from real life to weave this story of greedy people gobbling up London real estate. The film follows gangsters One Two (Gerard Butler) and Mumbles (Idris Elba) who find themselves in hot water when they're denied approval on a real estate investment they're working with Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson). Lenny is actually the one who shuts them out by controlling the man responsible for approving the deal. Meanwhile, Lenny wants to do business with Uri, a powerful Russian who seems agreeable enough, even loaning Lenny his good luck charm (a painting) until their deal's complete. But the painting goes missing, Lenny's drug-addicted stepson is somehow involved, and One Two, Mumbles, and Uri's accountant Stella (Thandie Newton) have a deal of their own in the works to rob the Russian.Blu-ray and the Bonus Features
RocknRolla's muted colors aren't enhanced on the Blu-ray, making the film not quite as vibrant as I'd have liked. The film didn't seem to have fully utilized the Blu-ray format, with the DVD providing just as crisp colors and just as clear background images as the Blu-ray release.As for the Blu-ray extras, Ritchie and actor Mark Strong collaborate on a commentary track that's slightly above average. The pair recall how certain scenes were filmed with Strong giving Ritchie props for creating one of his personal favorite opening scenes. There's also a short deleted scene that wouldn't have added anything to the film and "Guy's Town," a look at the changing face of London focusing on the locations used in the film. The best of the extras is a making-of featurette, "Blokes, Birds and Backhanders" (only on the Blu-ray) in which the cast talks about the script and answers the pressing question: What is a RocknRolla? The Blu-ray also includes a digital copy of the film. Overall a good but not great collection of extras.
