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Guy Ritchie: the ultimate guide to filmmaking
Guy Ritchie: the ultimate guide to filmmaking
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Lifehacker explains why and why it is worth paying attention to the films of Guy Ritchie, and also talks about the peculiarities of his work.

Guy Ritchie: the ultimate guide to filmmaking
Guy Ritchie: the ultimate guide to filmmaking

Who is Guy Ritchie?

Guy Ritchie is a British director, screenwriter and producer. He is deservedly called one of the founders of the genre of black crime comedies, a master of sparkling dialogues and even the ruler of the London underworld.

Guy Ritchie is a talented self-taught person who has never studied in film school. He first shot music videos and commercials, then saved up for his first short film. He impressed the singer Sting so much that he even agreed to play in the first feature film of a novice director. It was "Lock, Money, Two Barrels." After him, everything started spinning.

Oh, so this is probably just a Tarantino wannabe, huh?

No, you are wrong here. Guy Ritchie himself does not deny the influence of Tarantino's work, but you should not call him an ordinary imitator.

Yes, both directors shoot in the genre of black comedy, the plots of their films are often similar, and the jokes and dialogues are equally cynical. Despite this similarity, they are far from complete identity.

In short, the main difference is this: Tarantino is more cruel and bloodier, and Richie is such a lighter, more human version of him. In addition, Richie pays more attention to the intricacies of the plot, rather than detailed showdown scenes.

What is special about his work?

All of Guy Ritchie's films share some of the characteristics that make his work so recognizable.

Original manner of shooting

Guy Ritchie achieves a dynamic visual series using parallel and clip editing. This means that the director can tell two stories at the same time and use abrupt cuts. The constant flashbacks, flash forwards, and the narrator's voiceover add even more action to the pictures.

Non-linear plot

Guy Ritchie's paintings are always a multi-layered mosaic: a well-thought-out scenario, several tricky stories intertwined with each other, a large number of cross characters and an unexpected denouement like the cherry on the cake.

Careful selection of actors

The characters in Richie's films are always unusual, distinctive and self-sufficient. The director tries to convey in detail the characters and demeanor of even minor characters, let alone the main ones. In addition, each character will definitely have some kind of zest - a distinctive feature or phrase by which you will remember him.

Aphoristic dialogues

Guy Ritchie believes that the more biting a phrase is, the higher the likelihood that it will go to the people. And this is really so - the director's films are literally torn apart for quotes.

Very black humor

In films, he occupies a special place: this is not a joke for the sake of a joke, but something really comical. Unpredictable actions, an indescribable play on words, some ridiculous thoughts and actions of the characters - all this Guy Ritchie presents in an extremely unexpected and therefore funny way.

Full immersion in the criminal world

There is no place for pink clouds and fluffy cats in Richie's films. But there is full scope for fights, shootouts, virtuoso chases and colorful bandits. And this is good.

Thoughtful visual and musical solutions

Carefully selected soundtracks are impossible to get out of your head later, and the credits deserve to be watched as separate mini-films.

Voiceover

Special attention is paid to it. Although many filmmakers dislike this technique, Richie believes that it can add subjectivity to the story and create a trusting bridge between the viewer and the characters.

When all these factors merge together, you get the unique style of Guy Ritchie.

Do I like his films?

If you like gangster movies with an abundance of shootings, car chases and criminal gangs, you will love it. If you are a fan of English humor, you will like it twice. And if they are also ready to smash their brains over a difficult plot, then triple.

Richie's films are also worth watching for those who want to open the door to the harsh male world. There is a lot here about guns, gambling and big money.

Good. So what did he manage to shoot there?

Guy Ritchie's filmography is not particularly large, but this makes it no less interesting.

The most famous films

Lock, money, two barrels

  • Comedy, crime.
  • UK, 1998.
  • Duration: 107 minutes
  • IMDb: 8, 2.

Guy Ritchie's first feature film, which gave him fame and fame. Four desperate guys are trying to raise money in order to repay a debt to a crime boss named Harry the Ax.

Big jackpot

  • Comedy, crime.
  • USA, UK, 2000.
  • Duration: 102 minutes
  • IMDb: 8, 3.

Illegal boxing promoters, cruel bookmakers, extremely incompetent would-be robbers, supposedly Jewish jewelers and even a Russian gangster are fighting for the right to own a priceless diamond that has disappeared somewhere.

Rock and Roller

  • Action, thriller, crime.
  • USA, UK, 2008.
  • Duration: 114 minutes
  • IMDb: 7, 3.

And again, almost the same faces: crime bosses, Russian millionaires, colorful bandits and a missing rock star are trying to find out who owes whom and how much.

Sherlock Holmes (two parts)

  • Action, thriller, crime.
  • USA, UK, Germany, 2009.
  • Duration: 128 minutes
  • IMDb: 7, 6.

Guy Ritchie's adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about Sherlock Holmes. There is also a second part - "Sherlock Holmes: A Play of Shadows".

Agents A. N. K. L

  • Action, comedy, adventure.
  • USA, UK, 2015.
  • Duration: 116 minutes
  • IMDb: 7, 3.

A CIA agent and a KGB agent are forced to become partners to save the world from an international criminal organization that has managed to create a nuclear bomb.

Lesser known films

Gone

  • Melodrama, comedy.
  • Great Britain, Italy, 2002.
  • Duration: 89 minutes
  • IMDb: 3, 6.

A capricious rich woman and a simple sailor find themselves on a desert island. They are forced to stick together in order to survive, although they cannot stand each other's spirit.

Revolver

  • Action, thriller, crime.
  • France, UK, 2005.
  • Duration: 111 minutes
  • IMDb: 6, 5.

After serving a seven-year sentence, Jack Green is released. In prison, he wasted no time and came up with a universal formula that helps to win any game. Now he can't wait to try it out in practice.

Films that Richie plans to make

Guy Ritchie plans to continue experimenting. One of his next projects will be the cartoon "Aladdin", and then the director will work on the third "Sherlock Holmes".

Do I need to look in some kind of special voice acting?

If you are not fluent in English to watch films in the original, then try the translation from Goblin (Dmitry Puchkov). Among Guy Ritchie fans, this voice acting is especially appreciated.

Professional translation with censorship kills all jokes a little more than completely. After it, it seems that you have not watched a funny black comedy, but some kind of boring film that yawns. Therefore, the Goblin is a perfectly worthy alternative.

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