From Guy Ritchie, the writer/director of the acclaimed films “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch,” comes “RocknRolla,” a story of sex, thugs and rock ‘n roll.
The action comedy takes a dangerous ride into high crime and low life in contemporary London, where real estate has supplanted drugs as the biggest market, and criminals are its most enthusiastic entrepreneurs. But for anyone looking to get in – from small-time crook One Two (Gerard Butler) to shady Russian billionaire Uri Obomavich (Karel Roden) – there’s only one man to see: Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson).
A mobster from the old school, Lenny knows the right wheels to grease and has his hand on the throat of any bureaucrat, broker or gangster that matters. With one phone call, Lenny can make the red tape disappear. But as Lenny’s right-hand man Archy (Mark Strong) tells him, London is ground zero for the changing times, with big-time mobsters from the East, hungry criminals from the streets, and everyone in-between, all vying to change the rules of commerce and crime.
With millions up for grabs, all of London’s criminal underworld conspires, colludes and collides with one another in an effort to take their cut. But as high rollers and petty criminals alike jockey for dominance, the true prize of one multi-million-dollar deal will fall into the hands of a junkie rock star (Toby Kebbell) – Lenny’s stepson, presumed dead but very much alive.
“RocknRolla” stars Gerard Butler (“300,” “P.S. I Love You”) as One Two, a street-smart hustler who tries to play both sides of the fence. Two-time Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson (“Michael Clayton,” “In the Bedroom”) stars as the ruthless head mobster, Lenny Cole, part of London’s old crime regime, which is quickly losing ground to the wealthier foreign mob. Thandie Newton (“Crash,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”) stars as One Two’s love interest, Stella, a smart and sexy accountant with ties to the underworld. Mark Strong (“Body of Lies”) stars as Archy, Lenny Cole’s right-hand man. Idris Elba (“The Reaping,” “The Wire”) plays Mumbles, One Two’s partner in crime and best friend, and Tom Hardy (“Layer Cake”) is Handsome Bob, another member of their crew. Toby Kebbell (“Control”) plays missing and presumed dead British punk rock star Johnny Quid, and Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”) and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (“Crash”) appear respectively as Roman and Mickey, two Americans trying to break into the music scene in London.
Guy Ritchie directed “RocknRolla” from his own screenplay. The film is produced by Joel Silver (“The Matrix,” “Lethal Weapon” and “Die Hard” franchises), Susan Downey (“The Brave One”), Steve Clark-Hall (“Revolver”) and Guy Ritchie. Steve Richards and Navid McIlhargey are the executive producers.
The behind-the-scenes creative team is led by director of photography David Higgs, production designer Richard Bridgland, costume designer Suzie Harman, and editor James Herbert. Steve Isles composed the score.
A Dark Castle Entertainment production, “RocknRolla” is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. “RockNRolla” releases nationally in Australian cinemas on November 6th
www.rocknrollamovie.co.uk
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
THE SET-UP
Writer/director Guy Ritchie, who previously explored the rougher edges of London in his debut hit, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” and later in his film “Snatch,” was fascinated by the infusion of big foreign money—mostly from Eastern Bloc countries—pushing its way into London’s old school rackets. “I wanted to take a humorous look at the consequences of the new school pushing in on the territory of the old school,” says Ritchie, who is also a producer on “RocknRolla.” “This film is about trying to get into the property business, which so many people have tried to do, particularly in the last couple of years, because the profits are so vast. Everyone tries to get involved, and of course there are those that end up stepping onto banana skins.”
With new buildings going up almost daily, the city has become an endless construction site and London’s skyline has been altered beyond recognition. “If you go to the top of any tall building, all you can see are cranes,” Ritchie describes. “It looks as though the cranes are breeding. And property prices continue to rocket. It goes without saying that because there’s so much money involved, there are a lot of people taking advantage of the situation.”
Everyone wants in on the action—from the crime kingpin whose days are numbered, to the ambitious Eastern European whose criminal activities are hidden behind a veneer of respectability, to the accountants and bureaucrats counting the money, and, finally, to the small-time cons looking for a shortcut up the ladder of success. “What I’ve tried to do is amalgamate all these disparate journeys and personalities, which connect to one big whole,” Ritchie explains. “Inevitably there are connections, but they go through circuitous pathways from the upper tier to the lower and back again. We wanted to represent different facets of our society who are embroiled in this large-scale scam.”
Producer Joel Silver was immediately drawn to the intertwining elements of humor and action in Ritchie’s edgy tale. “We had always talked about working together on a movie, and within 24 hours of reading it, I knew I wanted to make ‘Rocknrolla,’” Silver recalls. “Guy’s vision is unique and encompasses this dynamic world inhabited by gangsters, rock stars, crooked politicians, Russian war criminals, and everyone in-between.”
Producer Susan Downey adds, “‘RocknRolla’ has everything people love about Guy’s movies—the eclectic mix of characters, the interweaving storylines that dovetail in ways you don’t see coming, the fantastic ensemble cast, the energy, the distinct visual style… But it also has an unexpected emotional layer and depth that I think sets this film apart.”
Ritchie, says Silver, has his finger on the pulse of the London criminal underworld where his stories live. “This film offers an affectionate nod to both the old-school gangster, Lenny Cole, and to the up-and-coming wise guys in the Wild Bunch. But what they’re encountering with these Eastern businessmen is entirely new. They don’t respect the old school, and they’ve got the money and the muscle to change the way things are done in London. So, the old school will have to adapt to survive. It makes for a very dynamic story and a lot of wild card elements that just send the action into a whole new realm.”
THE WILD BUNCH
Tired of barely getting by on small-time cons, the Wild Bunch is always looking for the big score. Gerard Butler stars as their de facto leader, a street-smart hustler called One Two, who is looking to play both sides of the fence. Butler had wanted to work with Ritchie since seeing “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” “When I opened the script for ‘RocknRolla,’ it was everything I could have dreamed of,” says the actor. “The film is thought-provoking, but it has also got humor, violence and silliness.”
Ritchie says that the actor possessed all the qualities he envisioned when he created the role of One Two. “Gerry is that intangible mix of charm and danger, of sincerity and guile.” Once on the set, the director praised the actor’s instincts, noting, “Gerry immediately understood what we were doing, which made my work much easier,” he says. “He basically nailed everything on one take.”
Butler, in turn, attributes his understanding to the director. “Guy knew exactly what he wanted and made it easy for us as actors to follow his train of thought. He’s an amazing director.”
One Two and his crew—including Mumbles, played by Idris Elba, and Handsome Bob, played by Tom Hardy—want to break into where the real money is: real estate. “They’re all best mates,” Butler says. “They’ve hung about together for years, been through thick and thin together. Meanwhile, they’re trying to have a bit of a life while they’re doing that. So, that presents its own challenges, including friends that turn out to be not quite as you expected.”
Elba describes the Wild Bunch as “entrepreneurs.” “They’re opportunists that run around London trying to snatch a piece of the old pie,” he says. “Mumbles and One Two complement each other because they are both opportunists. Wherever there is an opportunity to cash in, they snatch it up. In this film, they have a sort of low-life gentlemen’s club, a spieler where they all hang out. That’s where they sit down, have a laugh and decide, ‘What shall we do that’s dodgy today, boys?’ It’s quite a hoot. Guy’s got a very interesting sense of humor.”
But their first attempt at property speculation ends with them losing it all and owing a large sum of money to Lenny Cole, a crooked London businessman who controls both the money and the local real estate market. Lenny, played by Tom Wilkinson, backs the Wild Bunch in a property deal…but only long enough to steal it back from them. “They are just trying to make their way in this world,” says Butler. “They’re trying to break into the property market but haven’t done very well. They get screwed on the biggest deal they ever undertake and think they just got unlucky. And true to the perverse Guy Ritchie humor, that debt comes back to haunt those that screwed them over.”
What’s worse: Handsome Bob has only 24 hours before beginning a five-year stint in the slammer on an unrelated charge. His character harbors a particular secret that comes out as he looks down the barrel of a long sentence. Like the other characters in the film, Tom Hardy says his character is “larger than life.” He continues, “These characters are based in reality, but it’s a sort of heightened reality. Gangsters engage in criminal acts and violence, but these guys are always laughing and goofing off. They have many sides, though, so it’s not such a good idea to underestimate them.”
OLD SCHOOL vs NEW SCHOOL
Where the Wild Bunch are small-timers trying for something better, the position they aspire to is occupied by Lenny Cole, played by multiple Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominee Tom Wilkinson. One of London’s old mob regime who has built up a cozy network of crooked bureaucrats and corrupt politicians to help him out, Lenny is now finding himself out of his depth among the wealthier foreign gangsters, who are rapidly moving in on his territory.
“Guy Ritchie has created a world that sits in a very gray area morally,” says Wilkinson. “It’s not exactly an underworld; it’s somewhere in-between the legitimate world and the criminal world. Lenny Cole is an entrepreneur, a fixer, with substantial criminal connections. He represents the old-fashioned way of getting things done. He doesn’t quite understand that he’s got to move beyond that if he’s going to stay ahead of the competition, who are just as connected and just as ruthless as he is.”
Lenny runs the underworld with rigged odds and no mercy, aided by his right-hand man, Archy, who has served him loyally for 20 years. “Lenny and Archy are a direct descendent of the gangsters of the late ’50s, early ’60s,” offers Mark Strong. “They dress smart; they’re presentable. They’re subtle, understated, but menacing. And, when necessary, incredibly violent.”
Into this crucible of London’s underworld comes shady Russian billionaire Uri Omovich (Karel Roden), who sets his sights on prime London riverfront for a new commercial complex. But to ensure a smooth transaction, he’ll need the planning to go through fast and without any problems. For that, he’ll need Lenny Cole.
“The problem with Lenny is he’s gotten himself in water that’s too deep,” states Wilkinson. “He’s up against people who are every bit as nefarious as he is, and quite probably cleverer. His problem is that he simply underestimates who he’s dealing with.”
Lenny and his gang are “very much a nod back to the old London style of gangster, but that’s exactly what gets them in trouble” says Strong. “Where they come from, it’s about respect and understanding who the top dog is, and they think nobody in their right mind would dream of crossing them. But they come across two separate groups of criminals who don’t have that traditional kind of respect and fear for them: One Two, Mumbles and their crew are a more modern version of criminals. And the Russian element has come into new money, borne of the new capitalism in Eastern Europe, and they can be a much more vicious gang of thugs.”
Ritchie agrees that Uri and his type don’t play by the same rules. “The difference is that with the sheer volume of money coming out of the Eastern Bloc, I think that puts Lenny and his kind out of their depth because all sorts of other characters—possibly more suitably designed for the new world—have usurped their position of authority. They’re just not prepared; they’re just not qualified, basically, to work in this environment anymore.”
Putting another wrench in the works is the Russian’s gorgeous accountant, Stella, who decides to crunch the numbers to her own advantage.
THE WILD CARD
Thandie Newton stars as Stella, the smart and sexy accountant with ties to the underworld. “Stella is extremely good at what she does,” Newton describes, “so good, in fact, that I think she’s getting a little bored and wants to try and mix things up and make things more exciting for herself. And, of course, there’s nothing more exciting for a strait-laced accountant than to get involved in the criminal world.”
Her prowess with money has placed her within the inner circle of Uri Obomavich, the Russian billionaire seeking to invest in London real estate. “Stella captivates Uri in more ways than one,” says Karel Roden, who plays Uri. “She embodies sophistication and he trusts her implicitly with his money, but this trust is perhaps misplaced. In some ways he can easily dominate this new world he’s entering, but clearly not in matters of the heart.”