Guy Ritchie: Who Is He & What Movies Did He Make?
Let’s get cozy and familiar with one of the most ambiguous directors of our time.
There are many types of famous movie directors, from undisputed sophisticated geniuses to controversial freak masters to action movie connoisseurs and more. But such classifications don’t mean much in the end: every director has their own distinct style, and you can learn more about them by watching their one iconic movie than by hours of verbally comparing them to other filmmakers.
Guy Ritchie has been a Hollywood phenomenon for just over 25 years at this point. His portfolio is vast and ambiguous, but here’s everything you need to know about him.
Who Is Guy Ritchie & Where Did He Come From?
There are two things you need to know about Guy Ritchie to understand his directing style. The first is that he’s British: born in the UK, Ritchie interacted with two very different worlds — that of lowly criminals and that of posh people with generational wealth going back centuries. In his movies, he often combines the two, creating a distinct blend of high and low, rich and poor, scandalous and stiff.
Second, Guy Ritchie specifically never attended film schools or anything of the sorts. Despite realizing his desire to make movies as a teenager, he opted out of traditional moviemaking classes, claiming that their graduates made the most boring pictures ever. Much like Quentin Tarantino, Ritchie learned from his favorite movies, resulting in his very own style that never conformed to the academic norms.
What Movies Is Guy Ritchie Famous for?
At the time of writing, Guy Ritchie has released 15 big-screen movies as a director and/or writer. He rose to prominence back in 1998 with his first film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels that became an instant classic and perfectly reflected the genre Ritchie would work in in the upcoming decades: a mix of action, comedy, and drama.
Other than his breakthrough film, other notable Guy Ritchie movies include but are not limited to: 2000’s Snatch, 2008’s RocknRolla, 2015’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E, 2019’s The Gentlemen, and 2021’s Wrath of Man. The director is cherished for his witty dialogues, stunning action scenes, and larger-than-life characters, all wrapped in unforgettable visual style. Oh, and he launched Jason Statham ’s acting career.
If you’ve somehow never watched anything by this man, give a shot to one of his classics, and more likely than not, you’ll be buying yourself a suit in no time.