Jason Statham & Guy Ritchie’s 2005 Misfire Broke Their Movie Streak & It Took 16 Years To Fix It

Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie’s bizarre gangster opus Revolver broke their streak, and it took another 16 years to fix it. 1998’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels marked the movie debuts of both director Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham. Statham had many careers before acting – including music video extra and London street trader – but his back-to-back Guy Ritchie movies made him a star practically overnight. Lock, Stock… was a phenomenon when it debuted, while their follow-up Snatch was another sizable hit in 2000, adding stars like Brad Pitt and Benicio del Toro to the ensemble.

Following Snatch, their career paths took different routes. Jason Statham’s first action role in Ghosts of Mars led to an entire career in the genre, while Guy Ritchie married Madonna and directed her in 2002’s harrowingly terrible romantic drama Swept Away. Ritchie and Statham later reunited for 2005’s Revolver, which was meant to be a comeback for the former – but then sent him to director’s jail for a few years instead.

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2005’s Revolver Was An Ambitious Misfire From Jason Statham & Guy Ritchie

Audiences expecting another Ritchie/Statham gangster comedy weren’t prepared for Revolver

On the surface, Revolver looked like another slick gangster flick from Ritchie, but it had far more on its mind. The film casts Statham (who dons a wig throughout) as a criminal seeking revenge on Ray Liotta’s crime boss – only to realize he’s literally his own worst enemy. Revolver is an odd hybrid of gangster movie, heist film and existential drama, where between bloody shootouts there will be pretentious, drawn-out discussions about philosophy and how a person’s ego can lead to their own ruin.

Revolver was Ritchie aiming to break free of the “guns n’ geezers” movies that made him a name, but audiences roundly rejected it. Revolver sits at a paltry 13% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $7 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). The film has been roundly panned – but it’s more interesting than its reputation suggests. Revolver is a tonal misfire, but there are moments of greatness in there, such as an extremely inventive gunfight involving Mark Strong’s character and a long monologue delivered by Statham’s Jake while trapped in an elevator.

It can’t be denied Revolver doesn’t hold together though. Ritchie uses the film as a springboard for his various moral and philosophical beliefs, seemingly deciding that it would all work out as long as he hit certain genre beats. It didn’t, but it’s the biggest swing of Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham’s movie collaborations and is worth a curiosity watch.

Jason Statham & Guy Ritchie Reunited In The 2020s For Two Good Movies

Ritchie and Statham wanted viewers to feel the Wrath of Man

Ritchie worked his way back to the mainstream with his Sherlock Holmes movies and is now one of the hardest-working directors in the business. Statham’s star only rose higher too, but after Revolver’s failure it took 16 years for him to reunite with Ritchie for 2021’s Wrath of Man. This was a much harder-edged thriller than the likes of Lock, Stock…, but conversely, it was way more fun than Revolver. Aided by a great supporting cast (Josh Hartnett, Holt McCallany, etc) and intense setpieces, Wrath of Man was an excellent return to form for both.

Statham and Ritchie obviously had a great time working together again, because they almost dived back into heist comedy Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. The film proved to be a box-office dud, but it’s a breezy good time with another large ensemble – where Hugh Grant’s swarmy villain steals the show – and already seems to have earned itself a cult following. Operation Fortune is at its best when it’s subverting heist film clichés instead of leaning into them, but it’s still hard not to have fun with it.

Jason Statham & Guy Ritchie Have Never Topped Their First Two Movies Together

Lock, Stock… and Snatch made Ritchie and Statham’s careers

Wrath of Man and Operation Fortune are both a good time at the movies, but they pale in comparison to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. There is an energy and vitality to Ritichie and Statham’s first two collaborations they haven’t recaptured together or separately. These movies marked out Ritchie as a major new talent, while Statham somehow used their success to build himself into the defining action star of the 21st Century.

It’s not that hot of a take, but Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch are (arguably) still the best movies of Statham and Ritichie’s careers. Neither have enjoyed the critical success their early movies received since, and they’ve both aged shockingly well. Perhaps their next effort should return to the gangster comedy genre they made their careers on, and see if the old magic is still there. It’s best to avoid making a Revolver sequel, however.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo

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Revolver is a crime thriller directed by Guy Ritchie, released in 2005. The film stars Jason Statham as Jake Green, a skilled gambler banned from casinos due to his success. The storyline follows Green as he delves into a dangerous world of deception and high stakes, facing perilous consequences.

Release Date

September 11, 2005

Cast

Jason Statham
, Ray Liotta
, Vincent Pastore
, André 3000
, Terence Maynard
, Andrew Howard
, Mark Strong
, Francesca Annis
, Mem Ferda
, Anjela Lauren Smith
, Elana Binysh
, Shend
, Bill Moody
, Stephen Walters
, Vincent Riotta
, Tom Wu
, Ian Puleston-Davies
, Jimmy Flint
, Brian Hibbard
, Bruce Wang
, Tony Tang
, George Sweeney
, Martin Herdman
, Tony Denham
, Serge Soric

Runtime

111 minutes

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