Ritchie Trying Again
Guy Ritchie is a once-hot director (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) who baked his career and turned himself into an international joke when his remake of Wertmuller's Swept Away tanked, in large part because he made it with Madonna, his wife. And then he made things worse with a film called Revolver which nobody liked when it showed at Sundance last January. Now he's having another go, although he's occupying a lower postiion on the totem pole.
According to the Guardian, Richie is the third helmer to try and get a crime flick rolling called Static. It's about a wrongly-convicted mob guy being forced to testifying against some dirty cops. Ritchie will reportedly rewrite and direct the script, which was first written by New Zealand director Brad McGann five years ago.
The point is that back in the late '90s Ritchie would have been the guy to make this film, but the Static producers came to him only after first trying to make it work with Stephen Kay and then music-video maestro Chris Robinson. Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw reportedly wrote earlier this year that "after Revolver, Swept Away now looks like Citizen Kane".
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 25, 2006 at 4:02 PM
comment #1
What the fuck? says ...
REVOLVER is the most unwatchable film I've ever sat through. I know Ritchie thinks it's genius (and on some level it may well be - just way over my head), but it would take an act of god to make a worse, more self indulgent and inchoherant film than REVOLVER - and yet the studio is still interested in him. Gives me great hope for when my failures hit.
Posted by What the fuck? at July 25, 2006 4:10 PM
comment #2
mike says ...
Still waiting for a stateside release of Revolver. any news on this? Even a direct to video date?
Posted by mike at July 25, 2006 4:24 PM
comment #3
Scott Weinberg says ...
It played Toronto, not Sundance. And you're right: The response was justifiably unpleasant.
Posted by Scott Weinberg at July 25, 2006 4:27 PM
comment #4
Anonymous says ...
You can buy it on Region 2 out of the UK - if you're intent on wasting your money. Amazon.uk has it.
Posted by Anonymous at July 25, 2006 5:02 PM
comment #5
Anonymous says ...
cant wait to see Revolver.
Posted by Anonymous at July 25, 2006 5:21 PM
comment #6
DeadPool says ...
REVOLVER was god-awful. The movie made no f***king sense. Having read two drafts of the script before seeing the film, I knew it was going to be a disaster.
There's one scene that's just brilliant though: The restaurant shootout with Liotta and the Asian baddies. It's played to Moonlight Sonata and it's one of the most fantastic scene Ritchie has ever directed. Too bad the rest is just pure crap...
Madonna has totally sucked the talent out of the most exciting new British director of the 90's.
Posted by DeadPool at July 25, 2006 7:51 PM
comment #7
Anonymous says ...
Sony hired Ritchie last year to rewrite and direct "Six Shooters" and then fired him as soon as he turned in his rewrite, which no one liked.
So why would they hire him again?
Posted by Anonymous at July 26, 2006 8:04 AM
comment #8
Scott says ...
I am one of the few that loved Revolver
Liotta was was alittle 2d but Jason was really great, and so was Andre. I think time will help it. But it is one of the fims I can see why people hate it, compared to say those who hate on Dead Mans Chest.
Posted by Scott at July 26, 2006 2:07 PM
comment #9
Daniel Zelter says ...
From what I hear, the original Swept Away wasn't much better than the remake. But Revolver admittedly looks mediocre. It's obvious that Matt Vaughn was the heart and soul of Richie's gangster flicks.
Posted by Daniel Zelter at July 26, 2006 3:09 PM
comment #10
Dixon Steele says ...
The original SWEPT AWAY was infinitely better than the remake. Who could've possibly told you different?
And how could M. Vaughn be the heart & soul of LOCK, STOCK & SNATCH? He neither wrote nor directed either.
LAYER CAKE was promising but the jury is still out on Vaughn.
Posted by Dixon Steele at July 26, 2006 9:57 PM