Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 109 Ratings

  • Starring: Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Tom Wilkinson
  • Summary: RocknRolla is a story of sex, thugs and rock 'n roll. The action comedy takes a dangerous ride into high crime and low life in contemporary London, where real estate has supplanted drugs as the biggest market, and criminals are its most enthusiastic entrepreneurs. But for anyone looking to get in - from small-time crook One Two to shady Russian billionaire Uri Obomavich - there's only one man to see: Lenny Cole. (Warner Bros.) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 28
  2. Negative: 4 out of 28
  1. Ritchie concocts a crime-jungle demimonde that's organically linked to the real world, and it's a damn fun one to visit.
  2. It's all here: the ingenious, obscenity-laced language, the double crosses that turn into triple crosses, the swaggering characters so in love with themselves. GottaLove RocknRolla!
  3. Reviewed by: Sam Adams
    60
    Ritchie whisks you along on a whirlwind tour, but he's not averse to putting on the brakes long enough to admire some of his favorite attractions.
  4. Ritchie, who shoots and cuts everything in RocknRolla like an ad for a particularly greasy brand of fragrance for men, delivers the beatings and killings in his trademark atmosphere of morally weightless flash.

See all 28 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 49
  2. Negative: 6 out of 49
  1. EbriamH
    9
    Loved it, from beginning to end. I wild rollercoaster of a film, not too different from Snatch but when judged on it's own, it's a great film. The Real RocknRolla can't come fast enough. Expand
  2. RocknRolla brings an ensemble cast, some who have done extremely well in life after this film, and have thrown them into a very fast-paced and pulsating film that doesn't come up for air.
    This isn't necessarily bad, Guy Ritchie, after all, is the writer and director of this British crime/comedy film, and he does an exceedingly good job at integrating each cast member to be of a particular use when the time comes.
    So One Two (Gerard Butler) and Mumbles (Idris Elba) are basically thieves, if the complex story is to be believed, and they owe quite a debt to underground crook Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson) and his associate, Archie (Mark Strong), who lead in an awfully witty and humorous script that is up there with the best of Ritchie's films.
    There is a vast array of characters who all play minor parts in the big picture, literally, because a painting lent to Cole has been stolen and is being traced down. Tom Hardy, Ludicrous, Jeremy Piven, Toby Kebbell and the cunning yet beautiful Thandie Newton, all play pivotal roles to create a largely entertaining crime film of the Ritchie tradition.
    It does, however, have its shortcomings. The plot is a little complex to the point where it can sometimes be too quick, or too much going on to even give a damn to pay attention to the actual story and instead enjoy the action moments. There is also the problem of a large part of the cast being under used or not really standing out in their roles, apart from maybe Thandie Newton, Mark Strong and Tom Wilkinson, the rest just appear to be going along for the sake of it. Toby Kebbell is also annoyingly memorable in his role.
    But these small problems aside, this is still and excellent and enjoyable film, with the cinematography being of true excellence, highlighting particular scenes to show their importance, or just to add depth, like most Guy Ritchie films. The witty and smart script is catchy and noteworthy, with plenty of British slang and quips to amuse the best of us, and is well delivered from the talent at show, some more so than others.
    it has all the potential to be a classic, with its underlying humour and glitzy take on crime in London, but a few minor story details and over-abundance of characters stop it from being masterful.
    Expand
  3. Anthony
    5
    There's not much new here. Sure, as a film alone it's not bad. There's some cool scenes and funny moments. The style and soundtrack make it all seem very exciting. However, if you've seen any of Mr Ritchie's previous films or the the great movie, Layer Cake, then this just seems jaded. In terms of the plot and characters, you can actually see where he's just lifted existing material (Johnny Quidd is the same as Mickey in Snatch; Lenny is like Bricktop and the bad guy in Layer Cake... I could go on. ) This would not be so bad if it was improving on the earlier films but it isn't. If anything, Ritchie's just getting sloppier. There's rehashed dialogue and a couple of story lines that seem very unnecessary and lack any real conclusion. So overall, this is worth a watch if you fancy some mindless entertainment and liked his earlier work... but don't bother if you're looking for something new. Collapse
  4. ChrisK
    4
    Too confusing to follow.

See all 49 User Reviews

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