By Noah Redfield
When director Guy Ritchie released his 2000 crime comedy “Snatch,” the last thing anyone expected was that Britain’s answer to Quentin Tarantino would ever try to make an art film. Well, with “Revolver” – finally in US theatres after its UK release in 2005 -Ritchie has done exactly that. Whether he has succeeded or not is going to divide filmgoers for years to come.
Gambler and con man Jake Green (Jason Statham) is released from prison after serving seven years for a crime he didn’t commit. Now he’s hellbent on revenge. To start things off, Jake humiliates crime boss Dorothy Macha (Ray Liotta) – the man responsible for his incarceration – at his own casino. Now the latter wants the former dead.
Enter Zach (“The Soprano’s” Vincent Pastore) and Avi (Andre Benjamin from OutKast), two mysterious loan sharks who offer to protect Jake in exchange for all the money he has-a deal which doesn’t come easy for Green, who is in love with his newfound wealth.
From there the seemingly simple plot goes topsy-turvy. Along the way, Ritchie introduces the enigmatic Sam Gold, a crime lord who, in Avi’s words, “is behind every crime ever commited.” Everybody is afraid of Gold and yet no one has ever seen him. Then there’s this issue of Jake contracting a rare blood disease. But does he really have a rare blood disease. At one point Jake is hit by a car. But is he really hit by the car?
“Revolver” reminds of recent mind benders like “The Prestige” and “Mulholland Drive”-films that always feel one step ahead of the viewer. In interviews, Ritchie has admitted to deliberately adding red herrings in order to make the film more challenging. One can almost see the film as a game of chess; it’s an exercise in which the artist tries to interact with the viewer through a two hour game of cons and tricks. It’s no surprise then, that in several scenes, Jake and Avi play chess together and discuss the nature of games and cons.
A sense of self-importance cripples this film from the very first frame. Some viewers will be offended by the simplicity of the story’s message underneath all the effects and red herrings. One can just imagine Ritchie watching “Mulholland Drive” and wishing he could be as brilliant as David Lynch.
But the film isn’t all bad. It certainly isn’t half as bad as the press has made it out to be. Those who were unfortunate enough to have seen Ritchie’s abominable “Swept Away” have nothing to fear: this is “Citizen Kane” in comparison. Ritchie should be applauded for having the guts to make a film that takes these kinds of risks and offers audiences something different.
On a technical level this is Ritchie’s best achievement to date. While his early films are horribly lit and his shots were constantly ripping off Scorsese’s films, “Revolver” is beautiful to look at and feels more original than ever before. As expected, the editing is fast and furious but is still more constrained than before. The performances are adequate with one stand-out: Statham, who displays more depth as an actor than anyone would expect from the “Transporter” star. The one weak line in the cast is the usually reliable Liotta, who mercilessly hams up a storm as the villain.
Go into “Revolver” with an open mind. Don’t expect a masterpiece or a turkey because it is neither. It is a deeply flawed but a nevertheless enjoyable and fascinating cinematic experience.
Grade: B