Guy Ritchie
RocknRolla

"People ask... what is a RocknRolla? And I say it’s not just about sex, drugs, or crazy hospital rides. There's much more than that, my friend. We all like a taste of the Good Life. Some want money, others want drugs, still others want sex, glamour, or fame. But a RocknRolla, well, he's different. Why? Simple. A true RocknRolla wants the whole damn package."

That's how the film starts, with a backdrop of insistent blues with booming basses, and we’re at the opening titles. Good old Guy Ritchie has orchestrated a true rock show, and the narrating voice of Archie explains to us cynically the maneuvers of Lenny Cole, a shady con man and real estate dealer who believes he has the keys to the "city's backdoor."

In a contemporary London plagued by hedge funds, the director enjoys "shaking up" different characters but with a common denominator. We meet a charming group of slacker criminals, who regularly hang around a notorious suburban bar: they're One-Two, Handsome Bob, Mumbles, and the drug dealer Cookie. Then there's Stella, an accountant managing million-dollar accounts who loves spending time with criminals. But there's also a ruthless Russian entrepreneur who stops at nothing to seize half of London, employing ex-war criminals as his henchmen.

But let's get to the film's iconic figure, RocknRolla Johnny Quid, frontman of a rock band, believed by everyone to be dead, with a fondness for drugs, a badass streak, yet always ready to dispense nuggets of wisdom laden with art and romance. In Johnny’s character, the director seems to have created a "crash course" of all those rock stars who met tragic ends, from Jimi Hendrix to Sid Vicious.

With Guy Ritchie in splendid form, RocknRolla tells the story of Lenny (the excellent Tom Wilkinson), who orchestrates a fake land sale to attract investments from the whole London criminal outfit. Every kind of gangster dives into the gigantic scam believing to profit from it, but in the end, they all turn against each other, bringing down an unexpected spy..

A good plot, believe me, further supported by a clear and fast-paced cinematography, a high rhythm, and a successful underground London soundtrack. It can certainly be said that this film, combined with the filthiest dialogues and Tarantino-esque winks, is of an extremely high "FUCK" quota. Malice and humor are its strong points, but above all, Mark Strong and Gerard Butler's performances are convincing as they seem born to play modern gangsters.

One of the best films of 2009, highly dissuaded for the politically correct. Oh right, we're in Italy, no danger.

JC