Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

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Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) is a British film directed and written by Guy Ritchie, and produced by Matthew Vaughn.

The story is a caper comedy involving a cocky young card shark who loses £500,000 to a powerful crimelord in a rigged game of three card brag. In order to pay off his debts, he and his friends decide to rob a small-time gang who happen to be operating out of the flat next door, and whom they have overheard plotting to rob a drug dealer.

The film garnered Guy Ritchie international acclaim, and introduced actors Vinnie Jones, a former British soccer player, and Jason Statham, to worldwide audiences.

The movie contains non-conventional cinematography with scenes often having shaky camera movement which adds to the dynamic nature of the film. The soundtrack of the movie is very vivid and well-synchronized with the action on the screen.

The film is a violent black comedy which boasts a rich cast of characters.

In 2004 the magazine Total Film named Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels the 38th greatest British film of all time.

A television series, Lock, Stock...The Series, followed in 2000.

1 Plot
2 Trivia
3 See also
4 External links

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Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

There are four criminal gangs involved in the plot. The first (in order of appearance) is not really a gang at the outset as it consists of four friends: Eddie, Tom, Soap and Bacon. The second is that of Harry 'The Hatchet' Lonsdale with Barry 'The Baptist', Harry's personal bodyguard and counsellor, and Big Chris, Harry's debt-collector. The third is Rory Breaker's gang, consisting of numerous black heavies. Finally, the fourth is Dog's gang, consisting of some five men, one of whom, Plank, is key to the plot. Also involved is the fence, Nick the Greek, and Liverpudlian petty criminals, Gary and Dean.

At the start of the film Eddie and friends collect 25,000 pounds each to help Eddie bet against Harry 'The Hatchet' Lonsdale, an infamous gangster and a card shark. However, the game was fixed by Harry and Eddie ends up owing 500,000 pounds to Harry. Harry threatens to cut off Eddie and his friends' fingers, one by one, for each day the debt goes unpaid. The friends are understandably distressed. Meanwhile, Harry's aim is to get hold of Eddie's father's bar. The story goes that long ago Eddie's father, JD, beat Harry in a card game some years ago and used the proceeds to purchase the bar. However, JD refuses to give up his bar, ignoring the threat to his son.

At the same time, Gary and Dean receive an offer from Barry (on Harry's request) to get him two extremely valuable antique shotguns. They steal the guns in question (and some others) from their current owner. However, during the break in, they are shot at by one of the occupants of the house, with the antique shotguns. This means that the shotguns were out of the gun cabinet and out of secrecy Barry had only specified that he wanted the guns from the cabinet. Gary and Dean give him the modern ones, while the antique ones are considered to be unwanted and sold to Nick the Greek.

Meanwhile, Dog, who lives next door to Eddie and who is the leader of an extremely violent but small time gang, plans to rob an illegal drug laboratory, run by four rather peaceful and unarmed 'botanicals'. Plank, a long-time client of the laboratory as well as a member of Dog's gang, provides the necessary information. Accidentally Eddie and his friends overhear Dog's plans through a wall. They decide to ambush Dog and his associates at his flat once they return from the job, and take all the stolen money and drugs. They contact Nick the Greek, offering to sell him the marijuana that they plan to obtain. Nick sells them the guns that they will need for the ambush which, of course, turn out to be the two antique shotguns in which Hatchet Harry was interested.

Harry discovers that the guns Barry brought him are the wrong ones. He urges Barry to get the right ones. Barry calls Gary and orders him to find the guns. Gary calls Nick the Greek, but Nick tells him that the guns are already sold and can't be returned. Gary and Dean, frightened of Barry, decide to retrieve the guns on their own.

Dog and his gang, as planned, carry out the raid at the laboratory. during the raid one of the 'botanicals' is murdered and another gets his foot shot off, and one of the member's of Dog's gang is killed with his own weapon by the girlfriend of the marijuana growers, but everyone else involved survives. The raid is otherwise successful and the gang returns home with the money and drugs, only to find Eddie and his friends (all wearing masks) waiting for them. They take all the loot and leave. After dropping the goods off at Eddie's flat, the friends go out to celebrate.

Meanwhile, Dog is beside himself with fury. In anger he throws Plank against the wall; unexpectedly the wall breaks down, to reveal Eddie's apartment and numerous microphones that were used to overhear Dog's plans. Having recovered the money and most of the marijuana, Dog sets an ambush in Eddie's flat.

At the same time, Nick the Greek tries to sell the stolen marijuana to Rory Breaker. Unfortunately, the laboratory was actually Rory's, and when he realises that Nick is trying to sell him his own goods, he is less than pleased. Terrified, Nick gives away Eddie and his friends as the source of the drugs. Rory immediately gathers his gang and leaves for Eddie's place to punish the supposed robbers. They burst in only to encounter Dog's ambush. In the subsequent gunfight everyone, except for the 'botanicals' and Dog, is killed. Dog flees through a window, grabbing the two guns, only to run into Big Chris, whom Harry has sent to remind Eddie about the debt. Chris, who recognizes the guns that Dog is holding as those his boss wanted, suprises him and takes the guns and the money to Harry.

Eddie and his friends arrive home to find a dozen dead bodies instead of the money. While they are in a state of shock, Harry, who has received the money and guns, calls Eddie and asks why he had the guns, and demands that he come and explain himself immediately. Eddie and his friends, realising that they are no longer in danger, obey. Meanwhile Gary and Dean have followed Chris with the guns. Not knowing that Chris actually works for the same boss as Barry, they decide to burst in and take the guns. Dean recognizes Harry prior to being shot by him; Gary, seeing his friend's death, shoots Harry; Barry, sitting behind him, drives a hatchet in his back; turning around, Gary shoots Barry; having recognized each other they both utter the phrase 'What the fuck are you doing here?!' and both proceed to die. Eddie and friends arrive at Harry's place only to find yet more dead bodies. They take the money and leave; Tom delays, as he wants to recover the shotguns.

Meanwhile, Dog, having recovered, follows Chris and, threatening to kill his son, demands that Chris returns the money. Chris agrees and drives to Harry's, but there he runs his car into Eddie's car that is parked at the entrance. The crash stuns Dog and the three friends sitting in Eddie's car. Chris kills Dog, then notices that one of the friends is holding a bag with the money which, as he knows, belongs to Harry; he takes it to Harry's apartment, where he encounters Tom who is holding the shotguns. Tom knows that the guns aren't loaded, so they both leave the apartment peacefully through different doors, Chris keeping the money and Tom keeping the guns.

The friends are of course arrested, but luckily cleared of all charges. The only evidence that could connect them to what has happened is the two antique shotguns. The friends, sitting in the bar and celebrating, are sure that the guns have been disposed of by Tom; however, Tom confesses that he kept them. The friends send Tom to throw them away in the river. Meanwhile, Chris comes to the bar and returns the bag; he mentions that he has taken some money for himself and his son, as with Harry's death he has lost his employer. Opening the bag, the friends see that it is empty, save for a parcel. Opening the parcel, they find an antique guns catalogue and learn that their shotguns are worth about a quarter of a million pounds. They rush to call Tom. The final scene of the film shows Tom on the bridge, contemplating whether to answer the call or to throw the guns in the river first.

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Trivia

Due to the fact that Danny John-Jules had a brief role in the movie as Jack, some fans associated the role of Dean with Craig Charles, John-Jules's costar on Red Dwarf. The role was actually protrayed by Jake Abraham, who resembles and sounds like Charles in many ways and appeared briefly as an alternative version of his character in Red Dwarf.

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