Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie's bizarre gangster opus Revolver broke his streak and took another 16 years to fix it. 1998 Padlock, stock and two smoking barrels It marked the film debuts of director Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham. Statham had many careers before acting - including being an extra in music videos and being a London street trader - but his back-to-back Guy Ritchie films made him a star practically overnight. Block, Stock... was a phenomenon when it debuted, while its successor Snatch was another sizable hit in 2000, adding stars like Brad Pitt and Benicio del Toro to the ensemble.
Following Snatchtheir careers followed different paths. Jason Statham's first action role in Ghosts from Mars led to an entire career in the genre, while Guy Ritchie married Madonna and directed her in 2002's excruciatingly terrible romantic drama. Swept away. Ritchie and Statham later reunited for the 2005 album Revolverwhich was intended to be a payback for the former - but then sent him to the director's prison for a few years.
2005's Revolver was an ambitious misfire from Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie
Audiences expecting another Ritchie/Statham gangster comedy weren't prepared for Revolver
On the surface, Revolver it felt like another Ritchie gangster movie, but it had so much more in mind. The film depicts Statham (who wears a wig the entire time) as a criminal seeking revenge against Ray Liotta's crime boss - only to realize that he is literally his own worst enemy. Revolver is a strange hybrid of gangster film, heist film and existential dramawhere between bloody shootouts there will be pretentious, drawn-out discussions about philosophy and how a person's ego can lead to their own downfall.
Revolver Ritchie aimed to break free from the "guns and geezers" movies that made him a name, but audiences vehemently rejected it. Revolver stands at an insignificant 13% in Rotten tomatoes and raised US$7 million worldwide (via Mojo Box Office). The film has been criticized - but it is more interesting than its reputation suggests. Revolver It's a tonal misfire, but there are moments of greatness in therelike an extremely inventive shootout involving Mark Strong's character and a long monologue delivered by Statham's Jake while trapped in an elevator.
...Revolver is the biggest success of Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham's film collaborations and is worth watching as a curiosity.
Can't be denied Revolver it doesn't hold together. Ritchie uses the film as a springboard for his various moral and philosophical beliefs, seemingly deciding that everything would work out as long as he hit certain genre beats. It didn't happen, but it's the biggest success of Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham's film collaborations and is worth watching out of curiosity.
Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie reunited in the 2020s for two good films
Ritchie and Statham wanted viewers to feel the Wrath of Man
Ritchie returned to the mainstream with his Sherlock Holmes films and is now one of the hardest working directors in the business. Statham's star also rose even higher, but after Revolver failure, it took 16 years for him to reunite with Ritchie in 2021 Wrath of Man. This was a much harder thriller than others like Block, Stock...but on the other hand it was much more fun than Revolver. Aided by a great supporting cast (Josh Hartnett, Holt McCallany, etc.) and intense sets, Wrath of Man it was an excellent return to form for both.
Statham and Ritchie obviously had a lot of fun working together again, because they almost went back to the heist comedy Operation Fortuna: Ruse de Guerre. The film proved to be a box office flop, but it's a joyous time with another great ensemble - where Hugh Grant's villain steals the show - and already appears to have gained a cult following. Operation Fortune is at its best when subverting heist movie clichés rather than leaning on them, but it's still hard not to have fun with it.
Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie never got over their first two films together
Lock, Stock... and Snatch made the careers of Ritchie and Statham
Wrath of Man and Operation Fortune they both have fun at the movies, but they pale in comparison to Padlock, stock and two smoking barrels and snatch. There's an energy and vitality to Ritichie and Statham's first two collaborations that they haven't recaptured together or separately. These films marked Ritchie as a major new talent, while Statham somehow used his success to become the defining action star of the 21st century.
|
Every guy, Ritchie and Jason Statham |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Gross box office |
|---|---|---|
|
Padlock, stock and two smoking barrels (1998) |
75% |
US$3.8 million |
|
Snatch (2000) |
74% |
US$83.6 million |
|
Revolver (2005) |
13% |
US$7.2 million |
|
Wrath of Man (2021) |
68% |
US$104 million |
|
Operation Fortuna: Ruse de Guerre (2023) |
51% |
US$49 million |
It's not that hot of a take, but Padlock, stock and two smoking barrels and Snatch are (arguably) still the best films of Statham and Ritichie's careers. Neither has had the critical success that his earlier films have since received, and both have aged surprisingly well. Perhaps their next effort should return to the gangster comedy genre they made a career in and see if the old magic still exists. It's best to avoid making one Revolver sequel, however.
Source: Rotten tomatoes, Mojo Box Office