Rocknrolla review

This is not - as reported in certain sections of the media - Guy Ritchie's second coming. It is however a distinct improvement on his last two features, Swept Away and Revolver. Given the critical and commercial panning that those films received, it is a wonder that Ritchie was able to raise the undoubted millions he needed for his latest caper.

Ritchie's familiar trademarks are all in place: a big cast, a sprawling and confusing storyline involving lots of dodgy geezers and a portrayal of the criminal underworld which would undoubtedly bring a smile to the face of any real gangster languishing in a prison cell.

Among the motley crew assembled are a Mr Big named Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson) whose rock star son (Toby Kebbell) has gone missing, much to the chagrin of his father and manager (Jeremy Piven). In order to find him, Lenny 'borrows' a supposedly lucky painting from a Russian billionaire (a deeply unsubtle rendering of Roman Abramovich), but when said painting goes missing he is forced to send his chief heavies (Gerard Butler and Idris Elba) to scour London for it.

Confused? You most certainly will be. But while Ritchie doesn't do convincing plots or dialogue, he does at least manage to make the thing look very good, in a very-expensive-pop-video way. This may be as much to do with veteran cinematographer David Higgs as Ritchie himself.

There are also some good performances, in particular a bald Wilkinson who is more than convincing, and a charming Gerard Butler. But these are balanced by some woeful miscasting: in particular Jimi Mistry as a harassed council official and Thandie Newton as a femme fatale accountant. There is also a distinctly homophobic undertone to the proceedings, which, like the film as a whole, leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Paul Hurley