The best Guy Ritchie movies highlight the filmmaker's stylish and distinct direction. Ritchie rose to fame thanks to his acclaimed and cult-favorite crimes movies that allowed him to become a sought-after Hollywood director. After some notable missteps, Ritchie seemed to have found a career niche of jumping between big studio movies and the smaller crime movies that helped him find his initial success. This means his filmography is a mixed bag, however, wherein the least successful entries pale in comparison to the best Guy Ritchie movies.
Guy Ritchie has directed a number of critically and financially successful films over the years, but the director's career hasn't been without mishaps. This has created a unique string of hits and misses. However, even some of Guy Ritchie's movies that didn't hit big at the box office have gained more fans over the years and become underrated favorites. Fans might have their idea of the best Guy Ritchie movies, but looking at his ranked filmography shows as a definite divide between contenders for the top-spot and the lower tier.
Swept Away (2002)
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Ritchie paired with his wife at the time, pop superstar Madonna, for the worst movie of their respective careers. Adapted from an Italian film directed by the legendary Lina Wertmuller, Swept Away was maligned by critics and ended up as a box office bomb. Where the original film is a deeply political story that uses a battle of the sexes to embody a satire of social class and the war between capitalism and communism, the remake is just an excuse for a hot beach romance with the lack of chemistry between Madonna and her costar Adriano Gianni cited as a chief issue with 2002's Swept Away.
With neither the comedic nor romantic aspects of this romantic-comedy working, it is a dull experience to endure without much of Ritchie's signature style to keep the audience engaged. Due to the media interest in Ritchie and Madonna's relationship, the failure of the movie was widely reported on in a less-than-positive light. The movie won five Razzie awards, including Worst Actress, Worst Director, and Worst Picture. The Razzies even brought Swept Away back into the discussion in 2010 when it was nominated for Worst Picture of the Decade.
Revolver (2005)
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Following the critical and commercial mauling received by Swept Away, Ritchie decided to return to his gangster movie roots, but Revolver came with a more philosophical twist. The movie is one of many collaborations between Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham but often considered their worst. Statham plays a gambler drawn into a dangerous situation with a casino owner and loan sharks.
Though the idea of Ritchie returning to the gangster world was a promising one, his ambitious attempts here fall flat. Clearly, there is some deep message and philosophy Ritchie has in mind for this crime tale, but it is lost in confusing editing choices, a scrambled story, and overwritten dialogue. Along with Statham, Revolver wastes a strong cast that includes Ray Liotta and Mark Strong.
Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre (2023)
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Another collaboration with Jason Statham, Guy Ritchie stepped back into the spy movie world with Operation Fortune: Rue de Guerre. Statham plays a freelance operative hired to investigate the sale of a mysterious weapon to an arms dealer (Hugh Grant) with the help of a reluctant movie star (Josh Hartnett). The result is a pulpy but ultimately forgettable spy movie that pales in comparison to Ritchie's other effort in the genre.
There are some solid laughs and action beats in the movie, however, the story and characters fail to be interesting enough for the audience to really get involved in. Despite attempting to make a spy whose more of a reluctant hero than James Bond, Statham's Fortune is a rather dull lead. The movie is given a spark by some of the supporting cast, especially Grant and a scene-stealing Aubrey Plaza as Fortune's tech-savvy partner. Though not the disaster its many delays might have hinted at, it is not likely Operation Fortune will stick with audiences for long.
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017)
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Following the financial disappointment of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Ritchie was hired by Warner Bros. to help them kick off what was planned to be a multi-film Marvel-style franchise centered on the myth of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Many studios have tried to replicate Disney’s wild success by taking familiar (and typically public domain) properties and expanding them into sagas with sequel and spin-off opportunities, and none of them worked. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is perfect proof as to why this formula can't work for every property. The movie is far too focused on establishing lore and plot threads it doesn’t intend to pay off over the course of one movie, meaning the audience has very little to care about.
Ritchie’s style, the very reason to hire the director in the first place, gets moments to shine, but the vast majority of the film sees him in staid studio director mode. The movie reportedly lost Warner Bros. somewhere in the region of $150 million, making it one of the biggest box office flops of the past decade. While some fans remember it as an underrated adventure, its failure seemed to solidify that audiences aren't interested in another King Arthur movie, let alone a cinematic universe dedicated to such stories.
Aladdin (2019)
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It’s never really made a lot of sense to have Guy Ritchie be a sturdy studio director, the kind who one can rely on to get the job done with no fuss or any of that auteur meddling. This was one of the main reasons it proved so surprising when Disney hired him to helm their live-action adaptation of Aladdin. Ritchie is entirely the wrong director for this film for many reasons, but the end result is still a hell of a lot more fun and interesting than it gets credit for, especially when compared to other deeply inert Disney remake offerings like Beauty and the Beast.
The film is vibrant and fun, and has an extremely charming cast who do more than merely impersonate their cartoon originals. Will Smith received particular praise for his wild and entertaining take on Genie which fails to live up to Robin Williams' version yet wisely tries to establish a totally new take. The movie cannot escape the common issue of these live-action Disney remakes feeling unnecessary, but it is at least more inventive as the other money-grab offerings.
Wrath Of Man (2021)
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After a 15-year gap since they last collaborated on Revolver, Ritchie reunited with his most frequent leading man, Jason Statham for the crime thriller Wrath of Man. Fans who were expecting the kind of comedic and fun crime stories Ritchie and Statham had made together might have been surprised by the grittiness of Wrath of Man, but it was a refreshing change of pace for Guy Ritchie while still allowing him a show off some of his stylish directorial flare in a slow burn action movie.
Statham does the strong silent type character he's become known for, but Wrath of Man gave a nice glimpse at what he looks like as a loving family man as well. There is also a terrific supporting cast with Holt McCallany, Josh Arnett and Jeffrey Donovan as standouts of the cast. However, it is Ritchie who is most impressive here with him giving his take on a Michael Mann or Walter Hill crime movie which makes the audience wish he embraced the more cold-blooded and grounded tone more often in his movies.
The Gentlemen (2020)
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Ritchie’s The Gentlemen was another project hyped up as his return to form, a claim that doesn’t make much sense given that Aladdin is better than it gets credit for and was his biggest grossing title by a long shot. Still, The Gentlemen is definitely indicative of Ritchie returning to the fast-talking London gangster hijinks that made him famous. After a few years playing by Hollywood’s rules, this movie certainly feels like a throwback, albeit a very refined one made by a director who can still command a decent budget.
The Gentlemen's fun cast of characters fit perfectly into this world of Ritchie tropes – stylized dialogue, Cockney tough guys, two-timing wheeling and dealing, and that nagging sense that everyone involved is trying very hard to be cool. The Gentlemen is great fun, especially with its self-conscious embrace of cinematic tropes, but a story like this could have used a bit less Hollywood polish. It’s also weighed down by unnecessary racism, mostly directed at Henry Golding’s character. If Ritchie was attempting to show the grimy criminal underground for all its darkness with such language choices, it doesn’t work given how obviously over-the-top and glitzy its surroundings are.
RocknRolla (2008)
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Deviating from the gangster genre didn't go well for Ritchie during the 2000s so RocknRolla, released after the disaster of Revolver, was his attempt to get back on track and give the people what they want. There is a certain comfort and ease felt in Ritchie's material here as he returns to the world of low-level criminals and intertwining stories. While it is certainly not taking any risks in giving audiences what they've come to expect, it is a reminder that Ritchie does this kind of movie quote well.
As with most of Ritchie's gangster movies, it is RocknRolla's characters that make it worth watching, especially with such a strong and endlessly charismatic cast that includes Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Gerard Butler, Tom Hardy, and Thandiwe Newton. Once again, Ritchie manages to pull off big laughs and moments of violence as all the mayhem builds to a fun climax that offers everything he's become known for — no more and no less.
Snatch (2000)
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After the massive success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Ritchie stayed on a familiar path with his follow-up, Snatch. It is another story set in London's criminal underbelly that deals with a variety of characters intertwining in the hunt for a valuable diamond. However, as if to highlight Ritchie's growing stock in the movie business, Snatch's cast of characters included some big Hollywood names such as Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro. Despite the star power, Ritchie knows what worked with his first success and doesn't stray too far from that.
The similarities between Lock, Stock and Snatch are both good and bad things for the movie. Fans of Ritchie's original will find all the things they loved return in this funny, violent, and clever crime-comedy. However, after Ritchie's breakout success, seeing him repeat himself so much is a bit of a disappointment. Though it doesn't feel as fresh, there is no denying the fun Snatch delivers.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
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When it was announced that Ritchie would be directing an adaptation of the iconic Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle purists were aghast, but he ended up being a perfect fit for the old-school pulpy adventure qualities of classic Holmes. This is a take on the tales that prizes action and thrills above the more analytical qualities of its hero, but it all holds together marvelously, in large part thanks to Ritchie’s stylized approach to Holmes’s mindset. The heart of this movie is the sparky chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, who give the well-trodden dynamic between Holmes and Watson a new breath of life thanks to their screwball-style dialogue and love-hate back and forth.
What makes Sherlock Holmes work is its willingness to step away from the more staid elements of the source material in order to embrace the action and sheer visceral thrill of the penny dreadful pulps that Conan Doyle often found inspiration in. The best Holmes adaptations allow the audience to be as overwhelmed by the mental as the physical, and Ritchie strikes a cunning balance between both aspects. All that and it looks and sounds gorgeous, with one of Hans Zimmer’s more underrated scores.
Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
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The film that started it all is still one of Ritchie’s best. It’s hard to overstate just how big a deal Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was when it premiered in 1998. Blending the best aspects of classic British crime cinema such as The Long Good Friday with the decade's Cool Britannia aesthetic and a dash of Tarantino to keep things fresh. The plot is wonderfully convoluted and ridiculous, and it's delivered with the kind of confidence that's rare from a director making his feature debut.
It's perfectly cast with an ensemble of actors who would become Ritchie regulars — Dexter Fletcher, Jason Statham, and Vinnie Jones — and still manages to pack a punch over 22 years later. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air in British cinema at a time when it sorely needed it, and even though that formula Ritchie perfected has been ripped off and homage in countless wannabe movies, the original is still the best.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011)
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It is typical that sequels go bigger and darker with their follow-ups, and Ritchie did just that with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The action scenes are more bombastic, the stakes are higher, and the villain is an even more insidious threat, as Holmes comes head-to-head with his most worthy nemesis, Professor Moriarty (played with devilish charm by Jared Harris). Wisely, the movie still knows that the beating heart of the franchise is still the wonderful friendship between Holmes and Watson which continues to be used effectively here.
Game of Shadows is an even better mix of retro and modern than its predecessor. It shows Ritchie at the top of his game, blending his undeniably contemporary attitudes with enough Victorian melodrama to keep the action propulsive and often stunning to look at. It makes for a wildly entertaining blockbuster that still stays true to the Sherlock Holmes mythology. While it is possible there will be a Sherlock Holmes 3, it is a shame Ritchie will not return to direct.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Ritchie’s adaptation of the classic 1960s spy TV series was a major financial flop upon release in 2015. The Man From U.N.C.L.E., however, has experienced a second life online thanks to a dedicated fanbase and the continued support of the critics who loved it when it premiered. And for good reason: this is Guy Ritchie at the peak of his powers, showing exactly why he’s one of the most interesting and vibrant directors of action cinema working today.
Starring Henry Cavill, who has never been more charismatic, and Armie Hammer as the American and Soviet secret agents forced to work together to prevent a worldwide catastrophe, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a seriously stylish retro blockbuster that’s never less than effortlessly cool in every scene. The style is the substance here, from the impeccable costuming to the jazz-flute-driven score, but this is also a film with verve and charm at its core. Everyone involved is clearly having the time of their lives in this film and the chemistry between the core cast practically radiates from the screen. Thankfully, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is getting its well-deserved dues, but the lack of a sequel still stings for those wanting another Guy Ritchie and Henry Cavill team-up.