Guy Ritchie's REVOLVER comes out on DVD this week, reminding moviegoers everywhere how far the once-talented British director has sunk.

Guy Ritchie

Genre of choice:
Crime/Gangster

Filmography:
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Snatch (2000)
Swept Away (2002)
Revolver (2005)

The Best

1. SNATCH - One of my favorite films of all time, SNATCH is as stylish as it is witty, filling every scene with hilarious dialogue, cool characters, and an infectious energy that never lets up. Sure, it's essentially LOCK, STOCK redux, but between Ritchie's newly gained experience and the film's decidedly higher budget, SNATCH manages to flow much more smoothly.

2. LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS - Not quite as much fun as SNATCH, Ritchie's directorial debut still manages to keep audiences' heads spinning with its bitingly funny dialogue and clever plot developments. Ritchie has a style of filmmaking all his own.

The Worst

1. SWEPT AWAY - Madonna plays a despicable and annoying bitch who gets stranded on an island with a dumbass. They fall in love. The end.

2. REVOLVER - While at first REVOLVER just seems mediocre, it slowly devolves into an incredibly pretentious collection of nonsensical plot points and excruciatingly obvious attempts to keep things as confusing as possible. A highly masturbatory effort from Ritchie, doing for his religion of Kabbalah what BATTLEFIELD EARTH did for Scientology.

Hidden Gem(s)

Here's Ritchie's entry (entitled "Star") for BMW's short film series, starring Clive Owen and Madonna.

Style/Trademarks

Transitions - Ritchie utilizes many editing and camera techniques/tricks to move from scene to scene.

Voiceover - Ritchie often has one of his characters narrate the movie.

Musicians - Ritchie frequently casts musicians, such as Sting, Goldie, André Benjamin, and now Ludacris.

Behind the Camera

Guy Ritchie is married to Madonna. He's involved her in much of his recent work, including a movie, music video, and short film.

He got partial funding for LOCK, STOCK through Trudie Styler, Sting's wife, after she saw the 20-minute short film he wrote and director called THE HARD CASE.

Ritchie is dyslexic, and dropped out of school when he was 15.

He was arrested in 2000 for assaulting a 20-year-old man.

Upcoming Projects

Up next Ritchie has ROCKNROLLA, starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Ludacris, and Jeremy Piven. The story involves a real estate scam that makes available millions of dollars, with numerous members of London's criminal underworld wanting a piece of the action.

His other projects include GUY RITCHIE'S GAMEKEEPER, based on his comic book series about a tormented man who seeks revenge for his friend's death and journeys into an urban underworld, as well as a documentary on David R. Hawkins.

Overall

Just what the hell happened to Guy Ritchie? Many have said it was marrying Madonna that did him in. Others have argued that it was Matthew Vaughn (producer of SNATCH and LOCK, STOCK, director of LAYER CAKE) who was the talented one all along. Maybe it's a bit of both. Whatever the case, the only thing that truly matters is that Ritchie's films officially suck now. But at least we'll always have his first couple to remember him by.

What are your favorite/least favorite Guy Ritchie films? Submit your choices in the Strike Back section below!