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When a land deal goes wrong for One Two (Gerard Butler) and Mumbles (Idris Elba) they have to steal seven large to pay back underworld fixer Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson). Aided by accountant Stella (Thandie Newton) they make the hit and think that's the end of the matter. Only it isn't because now the can is open and there is worms every where. Worms involving a shady Russian business man, his favourite painting and a junkie rock star who keeps on dying!.

It's interesting viewing RocknRolla now just after Guy Ritchie's reinvention of Sherlock Holmes has put him back on the flavour of the month list. For at the time of its release Ritchie was on the back of a couple of critical bombs and was of course then known as Mr Madonna. The press and the film critics seemingly revelling in giving the bright director a good old cockney kicking after putting him on a pedestal with the success of the Lock, Stock and Snatch movies. Don't get me wrong, Swept Away is awful and Revolver, while not being the cess pool of vomit some would have you believe, is just too much labyrinthine plotting around a poor narrative story. But had Ritchie lost his mojo in 2008? Is it true that he got lucky with his cockernee gangster forays?.

Well what we know to be true is that Ritchie is comfortable back on the shady London manor that is at the heart of RocknRolla. Cynics will say he has played safe and returned to the formula that made him. Yeah, so what? A return to form is a return to form is it not? Besides which, if one is prepared to delve deep and examine RocknRolla, you will find that it's more polished than both Lock, Stock and Snatch; with a far better cast of actors able to fully realise the zippy structure and material of the piece. No! Ritchie is no great story teller yet, and judging by the plot of Sherlock Holmes, he's unable to spot a duff story either. Yet the vigour, vibrancy, and all round geezerness of RocknRolla is bountiful as a ream of charismatic characters all have stories within the story. Ritchie returning to gangland territory with guns, gags and sexual energy is a good thing. It really is.

The cast are uniformly strong. The roll call contains Mark Strong, Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Tom Hardy, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, Jimmy Mistry, Idris Alba, Chris Bridges and Gemma Arteton. All of whom seem to enjoy being in "that type" of Guy Ritchie movie. But it's Toby Kebbell as junkie rock star Johnny Quid that shines the brightest. He's no stranger to fans of harder edged British cinema, his brilliant turn in Dead Man's Shoes often gets forgotten because of Paddy Considine's much lauded turn in that film. While Wilderness, and then Control, further pushed him forward as a major British talent. Here he covers many bases in character while the material lets him slyly dig at the music industry and link it feral like to the underworld. A terrific turn from a terrific young actor.

With a kicking soundtrack that includes the likes of The Clash, The Hives, The Subways, Lou Reed and The Sonics, it's not just the crime caper plot that positively pings. There's some links to Pulp Fiction, a painting we never see echoes the running suitcase gag, while a wonderful dance sequence between Butler and Newton of course nods to Uma & John. But it's fine, this is Ritchie's world and its fun, sexy and cunningly dangerous. 8/10

Like other reviewers, I find Guy Ritchie very watchable. His cockney criminals are a delight to watch, all of them killing a human as easily as they might a fly and delivering punchlines all the way. Rirchie's screenplay brims with action and razor sharp dialogue for the first hour, then - very sadly - it loses direction.

The blueprint for ROCKNROLLA was SNATCH (UK, 2000), probably Ritchie's best, most rounded effort, with characters that pop out of the screen.

ROCKNROLLA does not quite match that highly original early Ritchie flick, it is unfortunately too long by easily 20 minutes, and its characters by and large do not stand out as much.

That said, Butler and Hardy make unlikely lovers who double up as criminals, Butler and Thandie have the briefest, least passionate love scene I have watched in some time, a real damp squib, and Tom Wilkinson as the fiendish Lenny Cole, Idris Elba as the ever supportive sidekick to Butler, and Mark Strong as the irrepressible Archy really steal the show.

Great cinematography, action sequences by David Higgs.

This is a typical Guy Ritchie film. With a wide range of characters and some very powerful performances to random shots making you wonder where the story is headed but just in time to converge in one final showdown leaving you with just word.. WOW!! I can't help but compare it to SNATCH..as they are similar in so many ways...but SNATCH was much more intense, funny and a better script.

Some very fine performances from Gerard Butler from 300, Tom Wilkinson from Michael Clayton but what really surprised me was outstanding performance by Toby Kebbell. His subtle dialogue and crazy laughter really spells horror and magic at the same time. The story takes you through the world of mafia and spins all dramatic sequences with blood, deceit and loads of humor. The scene where Gerard and his gang escape from the two Russian militants... that scene made me laugh like crazy.

I just loved this movie and i can't wait to see the sequel.

RocknRolla seems to be the beginning of the resurrection of Guy Ritchie's career. Not to anyone's surprise he does this with what he has been so potent with throughout his career; a British gangster film. If you've had any experience with Ritchie movies you know exactly what you're getting into here, a comedic thriller. This of course may seem problematic, in Ritchie's case it is not.

The writing and dialog is fast paced and quite witty and entertaining to watch. The movie as a whole maybe be a bit of a head scratcher here and there but the pay off is good and the idea is a bit of a parody of itself which is what makes this film so fun.

What Ritchie accomplishes though, in the same way he has with his past successful productions is putting together an extremely diverse and yet correlating cast. This starts with the lead man in Gerard Butler whose notoriety has steadily risen largely through his performances of comical caricatures (not an insult). With RocknRolla Butler seems to have found a role perfect for his appeal and charm he brings to the screen. This is largely because of a witty script and great, fun performances all around.

Then of course there is Mark Strong who until this year was largely a total unknown, at least in the American mainstream. While Gerard Butler may have found a genre he is most strongly suited for, Mark Strong could certainly use this along with Body of Lies to launch to the very least a respectable acting career. His posture, range and ability to change tone and style subtly not only between films but within them is something that should be and surely will be recognized.

At the turn of the century, Guy Ritchie established his reputation with the one-two punch of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch". While bearing the unmistakable influence of Quentin Tarantino, these two crime comedies nevertheless stood out among the scores of imitators.

Branching out, Ritchie next tried something different. Unfortunately, his remake of Lina Wertmüller's "Swept Away" (starring his then-wife Madonna) turned out to be a disaster, both artistically & financially. His follow-up, "Revolver", played more to Ritchie's strengths but it was ultimately sunk by some heady philosophical underpinnings.

Finally, in 2008, Ritchie returned to his bread & butter with "RockNRolla". This tale of high- and low-class gangsters might not have quite the same spark as his earlier efforts but it definitely represented a welcome return to form.

All of the usual ingredients are here: a cleverly constructed plot, visual panache, well-chosen tunes and, perhaps most importantly, a stellar ensemble cast. It's an embarrassment of riches with the likes of Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Tom Wilkinson and so on. Of course, it helps that they're delivering Ritchie's often quotable dialogue.

Overall, the screenplay is characteristically convoluted with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. I won't even bother to try to synopsize the plot other than to say that it involves a lucrative real estate deal that goes awry with potentially deadly consequences. Luckily, the script moves at a brisk pace so its complexities never wear on the viewer.

As I alluded to earlier, the movie is a visual and aural treat. The visuals are consistently vibrant and I have to appreciate some of the soundtrack's deep cuts like "Have Love, Will Travel" by the Sonics and "Funnel of Love" by Wanda Jackson.

Ultimately, "RockNRolla" may not qualify as top tier Guy Ritchie but it's definitely worth watching. Interestingly, Ritchie teased a sequel at the end of the movie but it has yet to materialize. Count me in as someone who'd like to see that happen someday.