At only 29, Guy Ritchie introduced himself as a filmmaker to be reckoned with. He wrote and directed ‘Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels‘ for his debut feature. No one could sell the movie unless Tom Cruise stepped in and proved to be Guy Ritchie’s savior.
Not many films make a lasting impact on the film culture upon release. Twenty-five years since its release, ‘Look, Stock, And Two Smoking‘ has remained one of the mainstays of a successful low-budget film.
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Tom Cruise’s Contribution To ‘Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels’
Matthew Vaughn, the producer of Guy Ritchie’s feature film debut, talked to BBC Radio 4 about how the film’s release came about. After the film’s completion, Vaughn and Ritchie found it challenging to find a distributor.
The opportunity finally came knocking. They got a special screening in the United States. Matthew Vaughn had the insight to get in touch with Trudi Styler, one of the film’s investors.
Matthew Vaughn requested her to invite Tom Cruise to the screening, hoping his word-of-mouth promotion would increase their odds. And then it happened, just like in the movies!
Cruise barged into this private screening and ended up loving the movie. Matthew Vaughn recalled, “At the end, Tom got up in front of everyone and said ‘this is the best movie I’veeen in years, you guys would be fools not to buy it.”
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The Legacy Of Guy Ritchie’s ‘Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels’
The high praise from Tom Cruise himself launched an intense bidding war. ‘Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels‘ had a theatrical release date of March 5, 1999, in the United States. The film launched the career of the cast and crew involved.
Guy Ritchie has since made hit films like ‘Snatch‘ and ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E..’ He also directed the live-action remake of ‘Aladdin‘ in 2019. His upcoming films are ‘The Covenant‘ with Jake Gyllenhaal and ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare‘ with Henry Cavill.
The movie made the former diver and football player Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones massive movie stars. The producer Matthew Vaughn has carved a career as a director, making films like ‘X-Men: First Class,’ ‘Kick-Ass,’ and ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service.’
None of this could have been possible without Tom Cruise’s passionate plea for the movie.
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