When Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels barged its way onto our screens in 1998, there was a sense that director Guy Ritchie could well be the latest saviour of the British film industry. Boy, how wrong we were. Everyone was willing to over look the many flaws of his next film Snatch, but with such duds as Swept Away and Revolver to follow, it was plain to see that Ritchie wasn’t the real deal after all. With his back definitely against the wall, and the writing becoming more visible just above his head, he’s returned – probably wisely – to what he does best, in what is essentially the true successor to Lock, Stock.

RocknRolla is a scam story set in London and follows the fortunes of a cheeky gang outfit known as The Wild Bunch. They get into a spot of bother with old school gang leader Lenny (Tom Wilkinson), which in turn, makes their path cross with a bunch of crazy Russians. There’s a helluva lot of dirty cash on the table, and not surprisingly, everyone wants to get their mitts on it.

See, guns don't make you look big or clever.

To his credit, Ritchie has reeled in a great cast with Gerald Butler almost unrecognisable with his clothes on, and Mark Strong once again proving that he’s A-grade acting material. A special mention has to go to Tom Wilkinson though; after a career of playing sensitive types, it’s obvious to all that he relishes playing such a dark and nasty character.

Although this is a definite improvement over his more recent cinematic crimes, this film is simply too much like Lock, Stock. It’s like Da Vinci painting the Mona Lisa again, five years down the line – who would want to see that? Even worse is the fact that Ritchie is hoping to spin this yarn out to a trilogy. If that’s to be the case, then that sound you hear is most definitely that of the director scraping the bottom of his cockney barrel.

However, if you’ve never seen a Guy Ritchie film before, RocknRolla manages to stand on its own two feet. Just.