The story follows four cheeky chappie types Eddy (Nick Moran), Bacon (Jason Statham), Tom - Fat Man (Jason Fleming) and Soap (Dexter Fletcher), who lose at cards with Hatchet Harry (PH Moriarty) and have to repay his debt, lest Eddy's father JD (Sting) loses his bar.

Meanwhile... Hatchet Harry has, through Barry the Baptist (Lenny McLean), hired a couple of small time crooks to steal two guns from a stately home but do not realize their worth. Mirth ensues as the crooks fight each other to get them.

This gets confused with a battle between our heroes and a group of hoodlums next door fighting each other over drugs.

"A triumph of London Town England entertainment."

"Hatchet Harry smacks to death a man with a big rubber cock (of the penis variety). How rude!"

"It has everything apart from Michael Caine, was he busy?"

"The sort of movie you would not like to meet down a dark alley."

"Public school boys vs State school hoodlums. Welcome to England guv'nor."

"That nice Mr Vinnie Jones, looking and acting, once again, ever so mean. Even when he smiles he looks like he's about to pull your nose off. Bravisimo!"

Any food bought from a street trader in London, including squirrel nuts.

In the cockney rhyming slang position of 'any old iron'.

Head sized sock with eyes and mouth cut out.

Oh me, oh my. A finely comic outing of the rough and tough underworldlian type. This is not an England of muffins and Earl Gray tea with a twist of lemon. This is far more gritty. It is muffins without any butter, and tea without water. Yes, a rough and toughness rarely seen on the big screen, and never in English Tourist Board advertisements.

The Eastend of London has been mostly redeveloped by Canary Wharf these days, but the legends of these rapscallions wheeler-dealing away, lives on in mythology.

A stylized production, calling at times upon Mr Ritchie's pop video making credits. Is this what the English are like when they are not dressed up to the 9's in Beef-eater uniforms?

Definitely not a movie for all tastes, but of its type it is a gem.

There is no love lusty juice at all in this movie, thank the Lord. Terribly disappointing lack of hard on, no holds barred homosexual love, too: could try harder, or maybe not.

Moments of inspired English Eastend humor without using the word chestnuts.

Some of the characters are the genuine article. Note Barry the Baptist is Eastend legend Lenny McLean, billed as one time world heavyweight bare knuckle boxing champion. He died (of cancer) shortly after this movie was made, which explains the credit at the end of the movie.

Dogs have all the time in the world for bad boy Vinnie Jones, one of the most vicious footballers (soccer) of his time, although if he shows any sign of violence towards them will run for the hills after dropping a slippery patch of doo in their wake. A recent survey of Rottweillers in England put this movie in their top ten.

Cats are great fans of Nick Moran. They will visibly become enamored during the movie and will sit, ears in the air until the ending. This may be used as a good time to spray them with anti-flea powder.

All overweight animals will take an instant liking to 'Fat Man' Tom.

A small dog with a poor gene set.

Yes, the f-word spoken in an English Eastend accent (A Baf-wordta).

The first feature movie from Guy Ritchie. A classic of its type (English crime caper); The Lady Killers without the lady killing. Indeed, there is only one woman in this movie.

Recommended if you are British, and perhaps the English speaking Commonwealth (Australia, Canada, New Zealand especially), however uncertain appeal in the USA

August 7 , 2002