Media

Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - January, 2010

"Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (Blu-ray) - Reviewed by Stephen Hornbrook

Synopsis

Four friends pool their money together for a card game and get bamboozled out of 500,000 pounds by a local porn king, Harry Lonsdale.  You don't mess with Hatchet Harry though. When you owe him money you best pay it off quickly.  The four of them come up with a scheme to rob their thieving neighbors and sell their stolen weed to make a quick 500k.  The plan seems so simple, so easy and surprisingly, everything goes smoothly with the heist. Unfortunately, they have pissed off the wrong people.  It's a small world when the neighbors discover who stole their stolen drugs and cash and all heck breaks loose. Worlds collide in a mess of gunfire.

 

Commentary

It has been a few years since my last viewing of Guy Ritchie's first movie, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and I didn't enjoy it as much.  Snatch is definitely my favorite of Ritchie's films. Lock Stock just felt a bit slower and a lot less showy than I remember it. It's still a well-written, great film though, don't get me wrong. I think this blu-ray is easily the best representation you can get at home, but given the source, just don't expect it to look like most other blu-ray films.

Technical

The video quality is nothing to write home about, but it isn't the transfer's fault.  Lock Stock was a low budget film and Ritchie used 16mm to film it. The image has a heavy processed feel to it with lots of grain and way too much contrast.  Basically Universal did the best they can with the source material.  On the audio front, it too was pretty weak. Little to no bass track, which i found surprising.

Extras

Speakers

Subwoofers

Tower