… Guy Ritchie needs new material!
by Sturdy
Over the past 20 years or so, there have been a handful of talented and visionary directors that have burst onto the scene with a couple of new and original films that have impacted the entire industry. I put guys like Tarrantino, Fincher, Shyamalan and others into that category and now that all of them have churned out a few movies, we can all form our own opinions on how well they’ve done since their first couple of films. One director I would have put into that category five or six years ago was Guy Ritchie. But times have not been kind to Mr. Ritchie and he’s seen one misstep after another and as much as we all want to, we can’t blame it all on Madonna. I still think he’s a talented director, he just needs some good material and something completely different.
I’ve always had a thing for independent British cinema. I don’t know why, it’s just my thing. So I was happy to see Guy Ritchie’s LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS find critical acclaim and some commercial success in the States. It’s still a great movie, and when you compare it to other films that came out around the same time, it was a refreshing take on an otherwise basic story. SNATCH was a worthy follow-up and then…well…I guess that’s the problem.
Good movie, but was it more because of Pitt than Ritchie?
I’ll go ahead and ignore SWEPT AWAY. We’ve all done stupid shit to please our women, so I’ll pass that off as his attempt to please his wife. I promised I wouldn’t take any cheap shots at Madonna. It was unfortunate, but it’s not completely fair to use that as a sign he’s lost his touch. No, we have REVOLVER and ROCK ‘N ROLLA to do that. Now, neither film was actually bad, they were just average on every level. If I had seen those films and I didn’t know who directed it, I would have said “they were directed by someone trying to be a young Guy Ritchie”. While watching them, I felt like I was watching someone trying to mimic Ritchie’s style, but without his talent or ability.
Not bad, but he can do better.
So what happened to him? Personally, I think he’s too comfortable with the underground British crime genre and there’s only so much you can do with that. I don’t want to offend anyone involved with the British crime scene, but British crime just isn’t that interesting. We get it; there’s rain, some betrayals and suitcases of money. He needs to move on from this genre and try his hand with something else. Sherlock Holmes? I’m not so sure. Every time I read about it, I picture a retelling of LOCK, STOCK/SNATCH/REVOLVER/ROCK ‘N ROLLA but with RDJ in a funny hat. I have faith in RDJ, but not so much anymore in Guy Ritchie.
I’m hoping for the best, but ready for the worst.
Another problem I have with Guy Ritchie is that he’s a much more talented director than he is a writer. He can direct the shit out of a movie, but I don’t want him writing anymore. There are plenty of screenwriters out there that can, or already have, written something he can direct. I’d like for him to pick out one of those screenplays and give it a shot. I still like Guy Ritchie and I think he’s a great director. He just needs some material that can highlight his qualities. So c’mon Guy Ritchie, find a good script and break away from the crime genre!