Guy Ritchie is one of the most prolific directors in the business, and here are some of his films you may have missed. The early Guy Ritchie movies like Snatch were defined by their slick camerawork, large ensemble casts, and lashings of humor.
Later on in his career, Ritchie switched to big budget fare like Wrath of Man or the upcoming In the Grey. Ritchie is one of the busiest directors currently working, turning out new movies and TV shows at least once a year. His other upcoming projects include Wife & Dog and Viva La Madness.
Guy Ritchie is so prolific that some of his movies have slipped into memory holes. This could be because they came out at the wrong time, got overshadowed by other films, or, in some cases, they’re just not very good.
5
Swept Away (2002)
After his breakthrough with British gangster comedies like Snatch, Ritchie was compared to filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. It was also around this time that he began dating (and eventually married) a little-known singer named Madonna. Of course, tabloids and gossip columns ate this up, especially when they signed on to make a film together.
The result was Swept Away, a remake of a classic Italian romance where Madonna’s spoiled socialite ends up shipwrecked with the deckhand of her yacht. Despite hating each other initially, they slowly fall in love the longer they’re stranded. While a great setup for a romantic drama, Swept Away is a dud.
It’s hard to feel any sympathy or warmth towards Madonna’s bratty socialite, and the star has no real chemistry with her leading man. The movie was a complete bomb upon release, receiving acidic reviews and doing so poorly in America that it went straight to video in the UK.
Swept Away itself has been largely swept from people’s memories in the 20+ years since it debuted. In truth, it’s not the total turkey critics labeled it, but Ritchie’s third film is lacking in charm or emotional investment.
4
Revolver (2005)
Ritchie had a bad run of luck during the 2000s and followed the lambasting of Swept Away with Revolver. This existential gangster thriller cast Ritchie’s old mate Jason Statham as gambler Jake Green, who intends to get revenge on Ray Liotta’s mobster for sending him to prison.
Jake soon learns that his biggest foe might be himself – quite literally. Returning to gangster flicks should have been safe ground for Ritchie; after all, he made his name on them. On paper, Revolver should work. It’s got a name cast, slick setpieces and a big budget, but it’s also inescapably odd and pretentious.
Revolver saddles the cast with clunky dialogue, and it’s loaded with existential themes and preachings. Again, it was greeted with poor reviews and was another failure. Like Swept Away, it’s now a somewhat forgotten curio – which doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out.
It’s a mess, but a really interesting one. It has some great sequences (such as a creatively edited gunfight involving Mark Strong’s hitman) and Ritchie’s inventive visuals keep things fresh. It also features one of Statham’s most undersung performances.
3
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Following the roaring success of the MCU, cinematic universes became all the rage. Yet for every success story like Warner Bros’ Monsterverse, there were instant flops like Universal’s Dark Universe. While the latter launched with great fanfare and the promise of more movies, it stopped instantly after 2017’s The Mummy was poorly received.
The same is true for Guy Ritchie’s planned King Arthur cinematic universe. 2017’s Legend of the Sword told the origin story for Charlie Hunnam’s titular character, and a further five films were planned. This was an act of hubris on the part of the studio and director, though, since Legend of the Sword is one of Ritchie’s worst efforts.
It has a fantastic turn from Jude Law as the villain and some creative visuals and action beats, but the screenplay is very unfocused. Sometimes it drags interminably, and at others it moves so fast that plot beats become unclear. By the time Arthur fights a big CGI monster in the finale, audiences have checked out.
Apparently, Legend of the Sword was hurt by the screenplay being stitched together from previous, failed attempts at King Arthur movies, while Hunnam claims a piece of “miscasting” hurt the final product. Ritchie quickly moved on from the film’s poor box office, and it has almost become a footnote in his career.
2
Aladdin (2019)
Ritchie wisely followed King Arthur’s bombing with a live-action take on Aladdin, a film all but guaranteed to be a smash. This proved accurate, as the Disney outing is Guy Ritchie’s highest-grossing film by a considerable margin.
Despite its undeniable success and the fact that it recharged Ritchie’s career, people tend to forget he directed it. It’s so unlike the action or gangster films he’s made his name on. That’s a good thing, since it proves he can easily switch to other genres.
Aladdin itself is a charming if fluffy live-action musical. Ritchie injects it with some of his personality, though he’s content to play the familiar beats of the animated original. It’s a perfectly pleasant way to spend an afternoon, and children will love the colorful characters and visuals, but it’s the least Guy Ritchie of Guy Ritchie’s films.
1
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)
It took around 15 years for Ritchie and Statham to reunite after Revolver, with the dry spell broken by 2021’s gritty actioner Wrath of Man. They immediately jumped into Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, a breezy spy/heist caper where Statham’s operative must retrieve a dangerous device from Hugh Grant’s arms dealer.
Guy Ritchie’s next movie with Jason Statham will be Viva La Madness.
Operation Fortune had an odd production and release history, and was filmed during the pandemic. The movie was also shot with franchise ambitions, aiming to become a more lighthearted riff on Mission: Impossible. Its lukewarm box office and reviews mean a direct sequel likely won’t happen.
Still, Ruse de Guerre received great notices for its cast, which also included Audrey Plaza, a delightfully hammy Josh Hartnett and Cary Elwes. It’s evident that Ritchie let his cast improvise their way through many sequences (especially Plaza), but while it feels a little baggy at two hours, it’s a really easy watch too.
It feels like an Ocean’s movie in some ways, in that part of the appeal is watching a likable cast having a nice holiday together, whilst also making a film. Operation Fortune isn’t one of Guy Ritchie’s most memorable offerings, but there’s a reason it’s slowly building up a following.
- Birthdate
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September 10, 1968
- Birthplace
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Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
- Height
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5 feet 10 inches
- Professions
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Director, Producer, Screenwriter