One of the standout features of Guy Ritchie's films is the style in which they are shot. Partly because of the large ensemble cast and partly to keep the production as efficient as possible, "RocknRolla" had a rapid six-week filming schedule. Using HD cameras throughout made it that much easier and efficient.
"Guy works fast," comments Steve Clark-Hall. "Guy likes to create energy on the set and keep that energy going. That he managed to do that without creating tension during such a fast shoot is a testament to his great skill as a director."
Mark Strong, who previously collaborated with Ritchie on "Revolver," was well aware of the director's working methods. "He creates an environment that is fun and inventive, and he makes you want to get it right," he says. "We did a scene in the middle of Cambridge Circus, a busy intersection in Soho, and the cameramen were hidden in a little workman's tent on the other side of the street. We just played the scene with the public walking up and down the road. It was chaos. But that kind of filmmaking is great fun to do because it keeps you sharp; you get in, you shoot the scene, you get out. You haven't too long to think about it, and that is often the best way."
One of actor Gerard Butler's most memorable scenes was an epic chase through neighborhood backyards, train tracks and warehouses in which One Two and Mumbles are being pursued by two Russian thugs. "It's an incredibly long and tense action sequence, but it's also very funny because the guys chasing us cannot be stopped," Butler says with a laugh. "We shoot them, we hit them, we club them, we crash our cars into them, and they just keep coming. The scene really speaks to Guy's incredible aesthetic and energy. It's one of the most unique chase scenes I've ever seen, or certainly that I've been a part of."
Silver concludes, "Guy has made a movie that defies the boundaries of a straight-up action comedy or crime caper. It's a lot of fun but there's a fable in the midst of all the action. One of the characters compares life in this world to a cigarette box, which has a regal sophisticated appearance on one side, but on the other it tells you in no uncertain terms that it will kill you. In always looking for a shortcut to the good life, these characters are living on the knife's edge of life and death. That's 'RocknRolla.'"
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