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But just because Swept Away was a self indulgent bore and Revolver
(yet to be released in any form in this country) was a garbled mess, it
doesn't mean that this film (which is a full bore return to the look
and feel of Lock and Snatch) is anything more than the work of a unsure director trying to regain form by repeating himself.
And
the worst part of it is, this time around Ritchie doesn't even seem to
know himself what it was that made his first two films so much
fun.
On the surface everything is here.
It's a likeable
low level crime crew (here named 'The Wild Bunch' and led by Gerald
Butler) get tangled up in the evil workings of an evil crime lord (Tom
Wilkinson) while conducting a variety of scams of their own.
Everyone
is double crossing everyone, and everyone is after a missing "lucky
painting" in a game of musical chairs that is clearly going to end
poorly for someone.
The trouble is that, a few sidebars
about the state of property in London aside, the whole thing feels
bone tired.
Most of the cast try hard but they are given next to
nothing to work with, and Ritchie (who used to be able to judge with
effortless skill the difference between a likeable rogue and a dead set
bastard) muddles the moral tone to such an extent that by the end it is
impossible to tell whether the various deaths and paybacks are meant to
be good news or bad.
Forget this being a return to form - even "more of the same" is too high praise. DVD EXTRAS with Sean Lynch
There is not to much to look at here. The film was a moderate
success during it's theatrical run - at best - and one can only assume
that the "Return of the Wild Bunch" as promised at the end of the film
may never actually come to fruition.
There is a few featurettes here, plus some deleted scenes - but nothing to write home about.
Conclusion:
Movie 60% Extras: 50%
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