Born in Hatfield, a London satellite town, on September 10, 1968, the second of two children born to John Vivian Ritchie and Amber Parkinson Guy Stuart Ritchie did not get off to a great start in life, academically at least. At the last of the ten schools he attended he was expelled for allegedly dabbling in drugs and - probably as a result of not being diagnosed as dyslexic until later - completed his formal education with little more than a GCSE in film studies.

After a stint as a builder, Guy set his sights on working in the film industry. Starting as a runner in 1993, by 1995 he was directing music videos and commercials. "I think I wanted to be a filmmaker when I was at school because I couldn't do anything else," he later reminisced in an interview. "There was a course at my school, which didn't seem to be going on anywhere else, in film studies. I picked up on it and before I knew it I was interested in it. And then I got lost. Then, when I was about 25, I found myself again, and I realised I wanted to be a filmmaker."

Snatch (2008)

Starring Jason Statham and Stephen Graham

A diamond heist gone haywire launches gangsters, bookies, and a dog on a rollicking ride through the rugged world of bare-knuckle boxing in search of the missing stone. Critically acclaimed comedy from Guy Richie. "Snatch" is a movie that takes a little patience to get into. The first 15-20 minutes are a bit confusing. There are a lot of characters to introduce, and Ritchie's fitful editing style - reminiscent of music video-style flash - is something the viewer will have to get used to. But once it settles down and we get into the flow of it, it is a very entertaining, even hilarious, movie.

Brad Pitt does a superb job and shows once more why he is not only a big star but a fine actor. All the actors in this are excellent. It's a film about confusion, dumb plots, and drastic mistakes made by people who think they're smart when really they are all dumb as lamposts.

"Snatch" is excellent because it combines the MTV-style editing with a complex plot whose unifying element is the stolen diamond. It's so fast-paced that it demands the viewer to be engaged or get lost in the action. Ritchie and this excellent cast make this a memorable movie.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (2007)

Starring Jason Flemyng and Dexter Fletcher

I enjoy British humor much more than American. "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" had me laughing all the day through. Probably my favorite bit was the scene with the traffic cop having dealt with Campus Parking police one too many times, this was just too good.

I won't belabor the plot four Cockney lads get into trouble when they think they can win a high-stakes card game and turn out to be 'out-sharked' when the game is rigged. Harry, who is not to be messed with, lends them the half a million to get them out of the spot they're in, but they've got to pay it back in a week, or Harry is going to forfeit body parts from each of them. So they get involved deeper in crime and drugs and introduce us to a cast of characters from London's seedy underbelly that are both fascinating and frightening at the same time.

I avoided this film because of the "Pulp Fiction" comparisons, but "Lock" was much easier to watch and for me, much more entertaining.

I also loved the soundtrack, which I am adding to my Wish List right after this review is complete. The sounds are eclectic and just right on for the scenes they take place in. Very few movie soundtracks hit the spot quite as well.

Revolver (2008)

Starring Jason Statham and Ray Liotta

When the name Guy Ritchie is attached to a film, the audience can depend on lots of action, violence, crisp dialog, and nail-biting sequences: his films have a 'look' and a manner that could easily be trademarked. In "Revolver", Ritchie keeps all of those elements, but also adds the bite of challenging the audience to keep abreast of what is actually happening in the mayhem that unfolds, and it is this new element of psychological twisting of characters that makes the film so successful. It doesn't hurt that the cast contains some excellent performances by some of the very best actors of the action genre of films.

Jake Green (Jason Statham) is released from prison where he has served time in solitary confinement, by his own choice, enabling him to concentrate of the evils of graft and corruption and the deadly games people can play that call for revenge. He is cocky, wily, and full of tricks as he becomes involved in a master con game with one Dorothy Macha (Ray Liotta), the man who was responsible for his imprisonment. Macha is determined to take Jake down, but Jake falls into a 'partnership' with two bizarre characters - Avi (André Benjamin) and Zach (Vincent Pastore)- and begins to explore his own identity and apply those surprises to his compulsion to destroy the seemingly implacable Macha. How this redirection of evil and revenge unfolds is the chess game strategy of the film. To relate more of the plot would destroy the pleasure of the audience participation the film demands.

Ritchie wrote the screenplay with Luc Besson and the result is a story that manages to confuse while it entertains. Clever devices of plot turns and bits of philosophy from the most surprising characters flash quickly, enhancing the expected rough and tumble action of Ritchie's previous successes. Jason Statham is thoroughly in his element here, but the surprise performance comes from Ray Liotta who, under Ritchie's direction, turns in probably his best work to date.

This movie is not a typical action flick. It causes you to think, even when it gets to the point where it starts holding your hand. Many people will not like this movie. Perhaps they wont understand it and some because it wont be what they expect. I wont explain it, that would ruin it for others. Just know this is not a simple movie, if your paying attention it will get you to ponder the why.