Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels


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Details At A Glance

General
Extras
Category Black Comedy Theatrical Trailer(s) Yes, 1
Rating Other Trailer(s) None
Year Released 1998 Commentary Tracks None
Running Time 103 minutes Other Extras Animated Main Menu
Booklet
Cast & Crew Interviews
RSDL/Flipper No/No
Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region 0 Director Guy Ritchie
Studio
Distributor

Polygram
 Starring Jason Flemyng
Dexter Fletcher
Nick Moran
Jason Statham
Steven Mackintosh
Vinnie Jones
Sting
Case Super Jewel
RRP $34.95 Music  

 
Video
Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Pan & Scan MPEG None
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Dolby Digital 5.1
16x9 Enhancement Yes Soundtrack Languages English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Miscellaneous
Macrovision ?
Subtitles English Smoking Yes

Plot Synopsis

    Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels is a great black comedy set in London's East End. A group of four regular guys, led by Tom (Jason Flemying) come up with 100,000 pounds so that Tom can take part in a high stakes game of cards - Tom is a natural at cards. Unfortunately, he is not good enough to win when the other side is cheating. This leaves Tom (and by default all his friends) in debt to the tune of 500,000 pounds.

    The rest of the movie focusses the group's misadventures in attempting to obtain the deficient cash, as the penalty for non-compliance is severe.

    I enjoyed this movie because it was something quite different, and it was very cleverly done.

Transfer Quality

Video

    This transfer is acceptable, but not great. Subtitles default to ON with this disc.

    The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer is reasonably sharp and clear, though it was quite grainy at times. Shadow detail is acceptable, and no low level noise is apparent.

    Intentional burned-in subtitles are present between 42:46 and 43:35.

    The colours had an unusual tint to them, with a very yellow patina. Not having seen the movie theatrically, I cannot comment on whether or not this is how the film was meant to look, but it appears as if this is the case.

    No MPEG artefacts were seen. Film-to-video artefacts consisted of a small amount of aliasing, but that was all. Film artefacts were rare.

Audio

    There is only one audio track on this DVD - English Dolby Digital 5.1.

    The dialogue is usually clear and easy to understand, though some sections are a little hard to make out. This is as much the fault of the thick English accents used as a fault of the soundtrack.

    Most of the disc is in sync, with a few of the ADR sequences marginally out of sync. Fortunately, this is not particularly bad.

    The score is comprised of unusual and quirky songs, all well suited to the on-screen action.

     The surround channels were not heavily used, with this soundtrack being basically a front soundstage mix. However, given the type of movie that it is, they are not missed at all.

    The .1 channel was only lightly used.

Extras

    The running time of the feature is incorrectly listed on the preview disc that I was sent at 107 minutes. It is actually 103 minutes.

Menu

    The menu design is excellent. There is menu animation present, but no sound - I queried the lack of sound and was told that this was how it was designed to be displayed and was not a mastering error.

Theatrical Trailer

    This is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced and with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound which sounded mono. It is a welcome inclusion on this disc.

Cast & Crew Interviews

    A number of interviews with Cast & Crew members are present, along the lines of the Roadshow Home Entertainment interviews. Additionally, there is the option of viewing all of the interviews in one single stream, which is a worthwhile addition.

Booklet

    This is an excellent booklet which has a detailed scene synopsis, detailed production notes, and detailed cast & crew biographies as well as a list of scenes. There is a great deal of material to go through here.

R4 vs R1

    The best version of this DVD is the RSDL-formatted Director's Cut, available in UK Region 2.

Summary

    Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels is an excellent movie, well-presented on DVD. Definitely well worth it!

    The video quality is average.

    The audio quality is average.

    The extras are somewhat limited but this is compensated for somewhat by an excellent Booklet.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Michael Demtschyna
12th June 1999
Amended 8th January 2000

Review Equipment
DVD Pioneer DV-505, using S-Video output
Display Loewe Art-95 95cm direct view CRT in 16:9 mode, via the S-Video input. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials.
Audio Decoder Denon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital AddOn Decoder, used as a standalone processor. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials.
Amplification 2 x EA Playmaster 100W per channel stereo amplifiers for Left, Right, Left Rear and Right Rear; Philips 360 50W per channel stereo amplifier for Centre and Subwoofer
Speakers Philips S2000 speakers for Left, Right; Polk Audio CS-100 Centre Speaker; Apex AS-123 speakers for Left Rear and Right Rear; Yamaha B100-115SE subwoofer