Guy Ritchie's London

Following a successful 1995 short film entitled "The Hard Case", Ritchie and producing partner Matthew Vaughn gathered the money to shoot his debut feature "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" for a well-received 1998 release. It features appearances by future frequent collaborators Jason Flemyng, Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones and Dexter Fletcher as well as Police frontman Sting, whose wife Trudie Styler invested in the film initially.

"Lock, Stock..." follows the exploits of a quartet of friends who decide to rob a nearby gang to pay off a large gambling debt one of them owes to a local crime lord. Other than Ritchie, it was the debut film of actors Vinnie Jones, a former football star and Jason Statham as well as producer Matthew Vaughn, who has moved on to quite the directing career himself. With its highly entertaining blend of quick dialogue, fantastic situations and ultra-British cool, "Lock, Stock..." garnered Ritchie the attention of Hollywood staples like Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise and allowed him to move on to sophomore film "Snatch" (see below), where he would once again collaborate with many of his "Lock, Stock..." alumni.

"Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" is currently rated 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was named the 38th greatest British film ever by Total Film magazine in 2004. There is nothing to dislike here. Do yourself a favor and seek it out!

Grade: A-

Heat from the success of "Lock, Stock..." grabbed attention for Ritchie from the likes of Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Farina. They would appear in sophomore effort "Snatch" alongside "Lock, Stock..." alumni Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, and Alan Ford.

"Snatch" features a style and plot similar to "Lock, Stock...", as well as the same brand of ironic dialogue and intertwined storylines. But if "Lock, Stock..." was the opening act of Ritchie's career, "Snatch" is the headliner as the film can more or less be labeled perfect for its masterful depiction of London's criminal element. Stand-outs include Brad Pitt as a fast-talking, unintelligible Irish gypsy bare-knuckle boxer, Alan Ford as vicious crime boss Brick Top and Vinnie Jones as mob enforcer "Bullet Tooth" Tony. That being said, there's not a weak link among the rest of the cast either. And while critic Roger Ebert compared "Snatch" to "Lock, Stock..." as "a new arrangement of the same song", the similarities only exemplify just how comfortable Ritchie is among the more colorful of his hometown's inhabitants. Both are great films, but "Snatch" shows true improvement from a first film to the second.

"Snatch" also sits at 73% at Rotten Tomatoes. Empire magazine included the film at 466 on its 2008 list of the 500 greatest films ever made. To summarize: DO NOT MISS THIS FILM. It is as flawless as the diamond its cast is chasing.

Grade: A+

Following Snatch, Ritchie pulled an about-face to direct then-wife Madonna in the romance "Swept Away" in 2002, followed by Vegas-set mindbender "Revolver" in 2005 with Jason Statham. Neither film was received as well as the first two among critics or audiences alike, but when Ritchie returned to London in 2008's gangster pic "RocknRolla", the positivity returned to his reviews. Jason Statham would sit this effort out, leading Ritchie to cast Gerard Butler in the lead role of One Two. Supporting roles from Thandie Newton, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, Idris Elba and Jeremy Piven, along with its "Snatch"-esque plot involving a real estate scam, seedy Russians, small-time criminals and a drugged-out rock star propelled "RocknRolla" right back to the apex he'd reached with "Lock, Stock..." and "Snatch".

Peculiar for "RocknRolla" is the absence of not only the aforementioned Statham, but frequent collaborators Dexter Fletcher, Vinnie Jones, Alan Ford and producer Matthew Vaughn (by now a director) as well. The film suffers none for this, however. While these individuals would have certainly lent even more likability to the project, those present handled this tale of nefarious characters perfectly fine. Ritchie reportedly even has a sequel written, should he ever be given the opportunity to make it. Watch this one!

Grade: B+

The idea of a Sherlock Holmes film in the modern age probably caused many the pair of eyes to roll. After all, the character had been done to death via the cinema for the better part of a century. Enter Guy Ritchie.

Ritchie took the traditional Holmes archetype of a more or less straight-laced, "together" character and made him...well, a mess. Downey's Holmes is a bohemian martial artist with a penchant for getting himself in trouble as much as for sleuthing cases, though his brilliance usually wins the day. Jude Law as a "tough guy" version of the famous Watson skewed the film away from the popular conception even further. The final ingredient, Mark Strong as insidious occult villain Lord Blackwood, served to distance the film enough from its predecessors to almost completely revamp the Sherlock Holmes canon.

It couldn't be better.

Downey and Law's partnership serves as the crux around which their cases are solved, and in addition to Strong, Rachel McAdams turns in a wonderful supporting performance as Holmes' sometime rival Irene Adler. The story itself borrows here and there from various Holmes tales but with a fresh spin that is at once derivative and yet completely its own organism. Throw out all of your preconceptions regarding this legendary character and check it out.

Grade: A-

Guy Ritchie frequently works with many of the same individuals from film-to-film.

MATTHEW VAUGHN (PICTURED)
Matthew Vaughn collaborated with Ritchie on "Lock, Stock..." and "Snatch" as a producer (in addition to serving as best man at Ritchie's wedding to Madonna) before moving on to a directing career of his own with "Layer Cake", "Stardust", "Kick Ass", and "X-Men: First Class".

JASON STATHAM
Now an international superstar, Statham got his start in "Lock, Stock..." before moving on to "Snatch" and action fare like "The Transporter" and "The Italian Job", as well as "Crank" and the remake of "The Mechanic".

VINNIE JONES
Formerly a professional in the English Football League, Jones got his start in "Lock, Stock..." like Statham, also moved on to "Snatch" as well as "Gone In 60 Seconds" and "X-Men: The Last Stand" as the infamous Juggernaut.

ALAN FORD
Alan Ford narrated "Lock, Stock..." and featured in "Snatch" as the delightful Brick Top. He was far from a newcomer to the acting game in his work with Ritchie, however - his career stretches back to the mid-1970's.

MARK STRONG
First appearing in Ritchie's "Revolver" before moving on to "RocknRolla" and "Sherlock Holmes", Strong is a virtual chameleon who has appeared in such diverse roles as a Jordanian intelligence chief in Ridley Scott's "Body Of Lies", mob boss Frank D'Amico in Matthew Vaughn's "Kick Ass", a Gulag prisoner in "The Way Back" and Sinestro in "The Green Lantern". He is the rare actor who never, ever disappoints.

JASON FLEMYNG
In addition to co-starring in "Lock, Stock" as one of the four protagonists, Flemyng portrayed a member of Brad Pitt's band of Pikeys in "Snatch". Other notable works include Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in 2003's "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen", Dimitri in "Transport 2" with Jason Statham and small roles in "Layer Cake", "Stardust", "Kick-Ass", and "X-Men: First Class", all directed by Matthew Vaughn.