Guy Ritchie's gangster return

13 September 2008

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But Guy's career started to decline when he directed 'Swept Away' - a movie starring his spouse, and mother of his son Rocco - in 2002.

Following a severe slating from the critics, Guy attempted to piece his livelihood together and released 'Revolver' in 2005. However, despite attempting to redirect attention from his marriage back to his career, Guy quickly found himself at the centre of controversy again when he and Madonna decided to adopt a Malawian baby boy, David Banda.

Amid rumours that the superstar couple had used their power to influence and speed up the adoption process, Guy's career was forced to take a backseat.

Now, the talented filmmaker is receiving mixed critical reviews for 'RocknRolla', but is determined not the let the criticism get him down, and is already planning two sequels to the gangster movie.

"Well, if people go and see this one, then I've already got number two ready," he said. "So, as soon as they go, I don't want to be so presumptuous as to go and make number two before they've gone and seen number one. If things are looking good, then we'll make number two, and then maybe number three."

One of the main problems critics seem to have with Guy's films is that they all focus on the same subject - gangsters and the underworld.

When asked why he seems to have a fascination with the subject, Guy replied: "I just like it because it's an efficient polarisation of human beings. You can get to the good and bad, the grey, the black and the white more efficiently.

"It's not that I'm obsessed with the underworld. It's because I'm obsessed with, you know, humans and the way they sort of interact with one another. I think we all are. I think that's why we all go to the cinema. Just that it just happens to be the conduit I've gone down at present."

However, the film's star Gerard Butler - known affectionately to his friends as Gerry - insists the underworld is a very interest subject for films, because it is present in every city.

Gerard, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, said: "I think there are a lot of similarities between the inner depths of Glasgow and cockney London, definitely. There are a lot of the same characters, they just have different accents.

"I can't really speak for Tokyo or Durban, but I think every society and every city always has kind of similar echelons of that society, you know, middle class, working class, criminal element, and I've been in them all!"

Another person who believes Guy is a talented enough filmmaker to choose his own subjects is Joel Silver, the producer of 'RocknRolla' and Guy's upcoming movie about fictional British detective Sherlock Holmes.

"When 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' came out, I saw that Guy had tread on very similar ground in a movie that probably cost the same price as the catering budget of that movie, and I was very impressed by it," Joel explained.

"I thought he did a great job, I thought he was very smart, a great film-maker, and I reached out to him. It was a great experience to work with him and a great experience to be here in London and tell the story, and I'm really proud of the movie."

As in a lot of Guy's films, 'RocknRolla' relies on two extraordinarily beautiful women to balance out the heavily male cast - Gemma Arterton, who appears briefly in the film, and Thandie Newton, who plays stunning accountant Stella, a character who eventually becomes a victim of her own crimes.

However, while Guy's decision to include attractive female characters in the movie is not unusual, the decision to only have one sex scene - with no kissing - has been viewed as decidedly strange.

But Thandie explained she was forced to change the original scene after she arrived on set to find her co-star Gerard, with who she was scheduled to be filming the scene, stricken with a severe cold.

"I arrived on set for the sex scene to find Gerry was very unwell indeed," she explained. "So I wouldn't kiss him.

"Guy had to improvise. I don't know how he coped with those problems but it ended up being one of the most brilliant scenes. But I did find it challenging having to climax in a close-up to camera!"

Thandie, who has never worked with Guy before, also said she was impressed with the way the filmmaker worked.

"You're given a sort of framework, but then the freedom to create, and given full responsibility for your character," she explained. "When you're given that kind of responsibility and you're not feeling oppressed, that you have to do exactly what the script says or what the director wants, it just makes you up your game, because you take responsibility for what you're doing.

"As a result I think that I certainly got to be more creative than I usually get to be in films. So yeah, there's the good writing but also enough is left for you to interpret it the way you want to. It was great."

Gerard added: "Guy was actually absolutely lovely and charming and very easy-going and, but yeah, knew how to run a tight ship. He would always count down from five before a scene, no matter what was happening. And everybody had to be ready to film when he got to one. It was actually a very effective way to cut down filming time."

Much of the humour of the film stems from Gerard Butler, who plays hapless criminal One Two, and his relationship with his partner in crime Handsome Bob, played by Tom Hardy, who One Two does not realise is gay.

While nothing between the pair is seen in the actual film, a hilarious romantic dance between the couple appears as the credits roll.

Gerard, who has previously appeared in movies including '300' and 'P.S. I Love You', admits he loved being the vehicle for comedy in the film.

"I love the dance and I love the gay sequence as well," he said. "There are a lot of funny bits in this - I don't think I've ever been lucky enough to have so many funny bits in a movie. Usually if I see something comical I normally don't laugh, if there are other people laughing normally I'm not. But with this I was laughing."

It is this mixture of humour, grittiness and violence that Guy has become famous for, and one which is clearly apparent in 'RocknRolla'.

While the movie does not have what it takes to revolutionise the film industry, it is a successful film in it's own right, and definitely proves Guy still has what it takes to be a successful director.

However, while he is planning two sequels to the film, Guy also seems to have realised the public are getting slightly bored of his typical fare, as he has branched out to direct a movie about Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the London detective.

So, with Sherlock Holmes and a hinted-at adaptation of comic book 'Sgt. Rock' coming up, Guy is well on his way to securing his place as one of the most famous directors of our generation.

Whether this fame is simply down to his celebrity marriage, or whether it has some basis on his directing talent, remains to be seen.

By Sarah Bull

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