'RocknRolla' review

Idris Elba and Gerard Butler (Credit: Warner Bros.)

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One priceless piece of art and a real estate power play cause conflict among a wide range of people mixed up in London's criminal underworld, including an ambitious thug (Gerard Butler), an old school gangster (Tom Wilkinson), a Russian billionaire (Karel Roden), his seductive accountant (Thandie Newton), a drug addicted rocker (Toby Kebbell) and his American producers (Jeremy Piven and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges).

The buzz: The latest sprawling, stylish action comedy from Guy Ritchie looks like a return to the formulas of his best liked films, "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch." And an apology for the failure of his last two, the Madonna vehicle "Swept Away" and the pretentious head-trip "Revolver."

The verdict: At this point it seems like we've already seen all Ritchie has to offer, and either you like his limited, and rather juvenile, world view or you don't. With characters named One Two and Handsome Bob engaging in non-sequitar discussions and unnecessarily convoluted criminal shenanigans, "RocknRolla" will delight Ritchie's cult and leave everyone else wondering who's responsible for Ritchie getting paid to rehash the same nonsense again and again.

Did you know? Fans of HBO's "The Wire" may be surprised to hear Idris "Stringer Bell" Elba speaking with a British accent in the supporting role of Mumbles, but the actor was actually born in London. He's even performed as a DJ under the name "Big Driis the Londoner."

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