1999 was a big year for movies. It was the year that The Matrix‘s slow-motion bullet influenced action movies for years to come. It was the year American Beauty won Best Picture at the Academy Awards and Oscar fans have been arguing about it ever since. It was the year Pokémon jumped from Gameboys and TV to the big screen. And worst of all, it was the year that disappointed a generation of Star Wars fans with the release of The Phantom Menace.
To celebrate that landmark year in film’s 20th Anniversary, The Pop Break is launching a new, year-long retrospective of 1999’s most influential (at least to us) films. The series kicks off with editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin reflecting on watching the Guy Ritchie caper Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels might not be the most recognizable film from 1999 — but this U.K. indie has had a lasting, impact on the film world that still resonates to this very day.
On paper, it seemed like any other first-time indie film. Produced for $1.35 million, it was then-music video director Guy Ritchie’s hyperactive take on the British gangster film. The cast was an assembly of no-names outside of former star footballer Vinnie Jones (making his film debut), and a quick cameo from music legend Sting, whose wife Trudi Styler produced the film. The script was clever enough, but a bit convoluted, and the production value — was exactly what you’d expect from a $1.35 million dollar film.
However, there’s something fantastical about Ritchie’s first film — and it’s what helped it become a remarkable indie hit in the U.K. and make a small, but noticeable splash in the U.S.
The film’s success relied on so many things. The wildly caffeinated editing style, innovative cinematography, and rollercoaster ride of a plot captivated audiences. The Quentin Tarantino meets Damon Runyon cavalcade of oddly named characters — like Harry the Hatchet, Barry the Baptist, Soap, Bacon, and the diminutive psychopath Rory Breaker — were outlandish, highly comedic, and yet somehow wholly human. The performances from the no-namers were absolutely smashing — making even the most ludicrous bits of dialogue (and there were plenty) perfect for every scene. It also didn’t hurt that it had an absolutely cracking soundtrack filled with ’90s British alt rock, and classic American soul.
Yet, the most impressive thing about this film is just how many careers it launched.
Obviously, we know that Guy Ritchie went on to big things. He’s had one hell of a rollercoaster 20 year run. He created a beloved sequel in Snatch, married Madonna, made that “Jesus Christ, Guy, what were you even thinking?!” drama Swept Away with Madonna, divorced Madonna, helmed the monstrously profitable Sherlock Holmes series, made that bad King Arthur movie, and is now the man behind Disney’s live action version of Aladdin.
Of course, this film also gave us the gift that keeps on giving, Jason Statham. The perpetually 5 o’clock shadowed grump was a model and driver at the time of Lock, Stock‘s filming. Now, he’s the king of the action film (both good, and tremendously bad), and is about to star in the much-hyped Hobbs & Shaw with The Rock.
Lock, Stock also gave us Matthew Vaughn — one of the film’s producers who later became director of Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, and the Kingsman movies. It obviously launched the career of Vinnie Jones, who’s spent the better part of two decades playing a loudmouthed villain. The film also launched the careers of veteran character actor Jayson Fleyming (Benjamin Button), Nick Moran (Scabior in the Harry Potter films), and Dexter Fletcher — the director who finished up Bohemian Rhapsody, and is directing the Elton John biopic, Rocketman.
Yes, who would’ve thought this little indie film would’ve launched the careers of actors and producers involved in films that have brought in billions of dollars to the movie industry, and who are involved in three of the most anticipated releases of Summer 2019.
