British director Guy Ritchie (the man critics love to hate) goes against the odds in this unusual, sexy gangster movie. Indeed, he sets the stakes so high that he risks losing the audience. Which is fitting, at least in one sense: the double or nothing bet is Revolver's main theme. Rather than rat out his associates, inveterate gambler Jake Green (Jason Statham) takes a seven year fall in the big house. While inside, he passes the time planning the perfect con, including the formulation of a set of Sun Tzu-like sure-win rules. Following his release, he puts the plan in motion, a plan designed to make him rich at the expense of his nemesis, crime boss Macha (Ray Liotta). As in his earlier gangster flicks (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch) the director favors eccentric characters, black humor, a plot that is too clever for its own good, oh-so-cool camera tricks and a catchy soundtrack. Produced by Luc Besson, Revolver has every trick in Ritchie's bag, with the addition of animated sequences. In the end, it's all a bit too much. The overly obtuse plot, experimental editing and excessive angst will leave most viewers feeling as if they've overdosed on valium. Ritchie is willing to take chances (he's Madonna's husband after all), but with this effort, he's bet the house and lost.
Europa Corp.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue