By all accounts, director Guy Ritchie has returned to form with what he does best in the new British gangster film, The Gentleman, due in theaters Friday, January 24. Not sure about you, but we can’t wait to see it!
Of course, it has been a while since Ritchie tilled familiar territory. After making RocknRolla in 2008, he went on to helm big-budget affairs such as the Sherlock Holmes films, King Arthur, and most recently, Aladdin. The Gentleman marks the man’s 11th feature film to date, and now is the perfect time to assess Ritchie’s career thus far. Here are his films, ranked from worst to best!
Swept Away
One might argue that Swept Away was atrocious and that it was directly attributed to the divorce between Ritchie and his superstar wife, Madonna. Hey, isn’t that what happened with Brangelina after By the Sea?
All jesting aside, Swept Away marked a major departure for Ritchie, who made two stellar British gangster films before attempting this bittersweet rom-com. Neither fans nor critics much cared for the story about a snotty rich woman playing hard-to-get with a peasant sailor.
Revolver
Third time is usually a charm, but for Ritchie, Revolver proved that he went to the well one time too many. No matter how you spin it, this is his worst gangster film to date.
With far too many strands and narrative subplots, the movie ended up being labeled a mess by most who assessed it with sober eyes. The consensus is that Ritchie had become too bored with the subgenre he reinvented and began to go through the motions. The result feels like a stale, tired, and effete version of his prior gangster classics.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
In a stark departure from his typical fare, Ritchie did a decent enough job with retelling the age-old tale of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. However, compared to the rest of his filmography, it hardly stacks up.
The biggest criticism of the film is that it’s all spectacle and visual marvel but has no soulful expression. The movie more or less amounts to another listless blockbuster that follows trite Hollywood formulas. Finally, the movie was never able to expound on the meaning of the original tale.
Aladdin
From one giant remake to another, Aladdin proves Ritchie is best suited to make smaller movies from screenplays he helps write. Hence, The Gentleman!
While most notable for turning Will Smith into a big blue genie, Aladdin drew middling reviews from critics. The biggest gripe about the film is that, while honoring the original as best it could, it never pushed the envelope forward to offer exciting new aspects of the classic Disney tale. Rote, uninspired and marred by spotty CGI!
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows
Guy Ritchie seemed to reinvent his directorial acumen with the first Sherlock Holmes film, but for whatever reason, he kind of lost the magic touch on the follow-up, A Game of Shadows. What gives?
Call it sequel-itis, if you will. Sometimes bigger is not better, and by the accounts of most, Ritchie opted to cram the film with too many action set-pieces and subplots to do much good. As a result, the film feels over-bloated, unfocused, and until the finale comes to almost redeem itself, like a shadow of its predecessor.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
One of Ritchie’s best non-gangster flicks has to be the adaptation of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a slick tale of espionage and intrigue set in the early 1960s.
Based on the classic TV series of the same name, the film follows Cold War-era twists and turns as they relate to a covert CIA mission. When three nationals find themselves in cahoots to build their own nuclear bomb, an international effort to thwart global annihilation ensues.
RocknRolla
After suffering some of the worst reviews of his career with the lackluster Revolver, Ritchie returned to form three years later with the British gangster outing, RocknRolla!
Boasting a stellar international cast, the film follows Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson), a mafia don who receives a valuable painting after doing a favor to another organized criminal. The only thing is, the painting was torn right from his own collection. When Lenny assigns his men to find the missing painting, a complex web of back-stabbings and double-crossings ensue.
Sherlock Holmes
One year after setting the world ablaze as Tony Stark in Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. took on yet another larger than life figure under the watchful eye of Guy Ritchie. No skit, Sherlock!
Playing opposite Jude Law as the famed Dr. Watson, Downey Jr. breathed new wit and wiles into the age-old character. For his part, Ritchie brought his trademark bravura and dry sense of British humor to the biggest production of his career to that point, resulting in a hugely crowd-pleasing piece of pop entertainment.
Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
Chances are, without Ritchie’s searing feature debut - Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - there would be no Gentlemen to anticipate this year. Funny how that works, huh?!
In his brilliant attention-grabbing debut, Ritchie brought to life an extremely colorful cast of wacky characters in the British crime-comedy. The plot concerns a high-stakes card game in the seedy London underworld. Once the game goes sour, an all-out war between marijuana growers, hardened criminals, and debt collectors takes place for the possession of a large cache of weed, a stash of cash, and two burning shotgun barrels!
Snatch
There’s little argument to be had regarding Snatch as Ritchie’s finest film to date. It features his best ensemble cast, his most compelling story, and the best performances of all his films. Who cares if you can’t understand a damn word Brad Pitt has to say!
Fusing what Richie does best, mordant humor and hardcore action, Snatch excels in every way imaginable. It’s funny, unpredictable, wildly violent, and populated with unforgettable characters. Heck, it also introduced the world to Jason Statham as well. Automatic winner!
