1. 1. After watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) as a child, Guy realized that what he wanted to do was make films. He never attended film school, saying that the work of film school graduates was boring and unwatchable. At 15 years old, he dropped out of school and in 1995, got a job as a runner, ultimately starting his film career. He quickly progressed and was directing music promos for bands and commercials by 1995. The profits that he made from directing these promos was invested into writing and making the film The Hard Case (1995), a twenty minute short film that is also the prequel to his debut feature Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). Once completed, ten British distributors turned the film down before the film eventually was released in the UK in 1998 and the US in 1999; the film put Ritchie on the map as one of the hottest rising filmmakers of the time. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) was followed up by Snatch. (2000), this time with a bigger budget. He made a lot of movies after that including the controversial video "What It Feels Like for a Girl," which was called out for its violence. In 2002 the couple embarked on a remake of the 1974 Lina Wertmller film Swept Away (2002); the new film was a critical and commercial flop, winning five Razzie Awards. Ritchie followed up with the Vegas heist film Revolver (2005), which was panned, but won favour with the crime thriller RocknRolla (2008), which featured a game, energetic cast and brought American attention to rising stars Gerard Butler and Tom Hardy. He is one of the most famous British gangster film directors of all time, his movies are going to be a massive influence on my project.
2. 2. He has a very unique and influential style in British Gangster genre. The gangster movies he has made, such as Snatch and Lock Stock and two Smoking Barrels, include very low lighting throughout. Set in London, they always include local residents with the local accent. His openings are often to fast paced with British rock music in the background which is fast paced. The credits use cartoon pictures of the actors with freeze frames and pan to other characters. He also uses objects in the scene to incorporate the credits. His style of film is quite light-hearted with jokes and humorous lines. They also use unconventional, modern representations of men such as being teased for needing a gun. The films arent as gory as the work of Quentin Tarrentino or similar directors because it is more about the story than the action.