FILM SHAKE :Guy Ritchie as a crime-film auteur -

FILM SHAKE

Guy Ritchie as a crime-film auteur

The gangster genre is a typical American phenomenon since it is very much rooted in the American culture. Gangsters are an integral part of this country’s history and they became a perfect metaphor for achieving the American Dreams of wealth and success. The British film industry also pays much attention to this compelling cinematic style. However, it is important to mention that the unique fashion and mannerism of the British imprints a visible sign on every gangster work. Throughout British film history the presentation of the crime theme has changed significantly over the years. The classic ones like Brighton Rock (1947) or Get Carter (1971) are definitely more serious than the recent Guy Ritchie’s sarcastic cinematic creations. Brutal and revengeful professionals like - Jack Carter turn into modern-day quirky gangsters like - Brick Top who is fascinated with pigs.
The genre received its revival with Ritchie’s successful directorial debut Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), which appears to be more of an underworld comedy than a crime story of the highest magnitude. Two years later the audience eagerly visits cinemas to watch Snatch. Ritchie’s second achievement is very much modelled on his first film and it is safe to say that it is almost “a sequel” to his previous work. Definitely this filmmaker made his name popular by a modern take on British gangster film. His distinguishable style, which I will discuss later, gives freshness and lightness to this serious genre.
Nowadays, the gangster film cycle is a significant and popular one in Great Britain. Even though the genre is identified as an American one, Britain is not isolated from this aesthetic and narrative trend but gives a specific flavour to it. Definitely Ritchie contributes immensely to this new gangster image. Concentrating on the two instances of a crime film - Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch directed by Guy Ritchie -, we can sum up that it is a combination of violence and witty humour set in the ugliest parts of urban Britain. Both films centre on a group of underworld low lives. The former is a criminal black comedy telling the story of a young gambler who has a flair for cards but, unfortunately, lost a lot of money and has to pay off the debt. The latter is about various gangsters who want to be in the possession of an 84-carat diamond that eventually ends up in a dog’s stomach.