Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
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A card sharp's desperate attempt to pay off a debt to a crime lord leads to a series of escalating, interconnected criminal mishaps.
The story
After a confident card sharp loses £500,000 in a rigged game of three-card brag, he is forced to pay the debt to a powerful crime lord named 'Hatchet' Harry Lonsdale. With only a week to settle the debt, the card sharp enlists his friends to help him rob a neighboring gang of thieves. Meanwhile, a separate group of thieves is hired to steal a pair of expensive antique shotguns. As the two groups of criminals unknowingly pursue their own goals, their paths begin to collide in a series of escalating complications in the London underworld.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Eddie, a card sharp, loses £500,000 to 'Hatchet' Harry Lonsdale and must pay it back within a week or risk losing his friend's bar. He and his friends (Tom, Soap, and Bacon) decide to rob a neighboring gang led by 'Dog' who are targeting a cannabis farm. Simultaneously, Harry's enforcer, Barry, hires two thieves, Gary and Dean, to steal a pair of antique shotguns. The plot thickens when Tom unknowingly buys the same shotguns Barry is hunting. After both groups successfully complete their respective heists, they encounter one another in a series of violent confrontations. The story culminates in a chaotic standoff where characters are killed or captured, and the final scene reveals the true value of the shotguns, leaving the protagonists in a desperate situation as they try to dispose of the evidence while realizing what they have lost.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Guy Ritchie
- Writers
- Guy Ritchie · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jason Flemyng · Eddie; Jason Flemyng · Tom; Dexter Fletcher · Soap; Jason Statham · Bacon; Steven Mackintosh · Winston; Vinnie Jones · Big Chris; Peter McNicholl · Little Chris; Nicholas Rowe · J; Lenny McLean · Barry "the Baptist"; P. H. Moriarty · "Hatchet" Harry Lonsdale; Frank Harper · Dog; Sting · JD
- Genres
- crime; comedy
- Themes
- consequences of crime; loyalty; fate
- Tone and mood
- gritty; humorous
- Premise and plot tags
- heist; crime
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, being described as a grimy and funny twist on the gangster formula. It was praised by critics as a top British crime film and was noted for its sense of exuberance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 75% · review count: 67; Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Awards and nominations
- British Academy Film Award · outstanding British Film of the Year · 1998 · nominated; Brit Award · Soundtrack/Cast Recording · 1999 · nominated; Edgar Award · Best Motion Picture Screenplay · 2000 · won
- Production trivia
- The film marked the feature debut of Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones.; The film was Lenny McLean's final film appearance.; The film was ranked as the 38th greatest British film of all time by Total Film in 2004.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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