Guy Ritchie Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked"-where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Guy Ritchie-whose latest project "Wrath of Man" hits theaters on Friday.

Guy Ritchie's Filmography Ranked:

11.Swept Away (F)

10.King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (C)

9.Revolver (C+)

8.Aladdin (B)

7.The Gentlemen (B)

6.The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (B)

5.Sherlock Holmes (B+)

4.RocknRolla (B+)

3.Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (A-)

2.Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (A+) 

1.Snatch (A+)

Top Dog: Snatch (2000)

Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels are effectively tied for me as they are both full of incredible characters, snappy dialogue and slick, energetic filmmaking. What pushes Snatch ahead of Lock Stock by the smallest of margins is its deeper stable of great actors (namely Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina, Lennie James and Ade-who all steal every scene they're in) and an ending that remains the funniest twist Ritchie has ever conceived.  

Lowlight: Swept Away (2002)

If somebody were to destroy any trace of Swept Away's existence, they would be doing the future generations of film fans a great service. Not only is Ritchie's awful vanity project with his then-wife Madonna poorly acted and exceptionally boring, it's a wannabe romance movie that portrays a relationship that blossoms out of relentless abuse and repulsive predatory behavior that has the stones to to expect the audience to feel sad when their toxic love affair doesn't end in a happily ever after. Seriously, fuck this disgusting movie.      

Most Underrated: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Courtesy of a great villain turn by Jared Harris as the devious Professor Moriarty, bigger action setpieces that showed off more of Ritchie's signature visual flair and a slight improvement of the already great respectfully combative rapport between Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Homes and Jude Law's Watson,  A Game of Shadows manages to be the rare example of a blockbuster sequel that is more inspired and entertaining than its predecessor. 

Most Overrated: The Gentlemen (2020)

To be fair to The Gentleman, a recent rewatch resolved many of the issues I had surrounding the pacing, humor and general rhythm of the storytelling that made my initial viewing such an underwhelming experience. However, I still strongly disagree with the pretty popular sentiment that it's on the same level as Snatch and Lock Stock and am of the belief that Ritchie's time away from the crime comedy genre has dulled his sensibilities a bit (at least for now).

Top Piece of Proof that Every Disney Live Action Reboot Doesn't Have to Be a Soulless Attack on Creativity: Aladdin (2019)

Watching yet another bland Disney live action reboot in Mulan earlier this year has made me appreciate Aladdin even more. While it's certainly not perfect (Mena Mossaud is a pretty mediocre Aladdin and Marwan Kenzari went a little overboard trying to make Jafar menacing), some outstanding performances (Naomi Scott, Will Smith, Nasim Pedrad), the increased development and clever modernizing of Jasmine and The Genie's character arcs and vivid energy that was poured into every big musical setpiece provided a notable creative spark that made this such a refreshing departure from the lifeless, transactional nature that has defined the other entries in this wing of the Mouse House Empire.  

Most Underrated "Guy Ritchie" Movie: RocknRolla (2008)

Ritchie quickly bounced back from the convoluted mediocrity of Revolver with what proved to be his last manic, winding British crime saga until The Gentleman.  Per usual with Ritchie's worthwhile work, there's enough amusing quips, colorful criminals and ridiculous sidebars to keeps things very compelling throughout, and the cast-which includes Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Thandiwe Newton, Tom Wilkinson, Toby Kebell and a pre-international superstar Tom Hardy-shows up to play and effortlessly embodies these wild characters.