While it’s certainly not new territory for Guy, RocknRolla brings Ritchie back to form, with enough strangeness to please old fans and broad appeal for the rest. And this is all at the hands of a land grabber, some thugs, some sassy law breakers, a sneaky accountant, a Russian billionaire, and a rock star.

RocknRolla is a web of interweaved characters, and to try to explain them would be an exercise in futility. But at the base of it all is a land deal led by Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson) – a mob boss for the new millennium. He deals in land, and he’s got the money and power to have all, or rather most, of London in his pocket. Looking to make it even bigger, he gets into a deal with a Russian billionaire, Uri.

That’s where the simplicity ends. The Russian lends Lenny his lucky painting in good faith, while busying himself with his sexy accountant Stella (Thandie Newton). But she’s crooked, and pulls off robberies with the help of One Two (Gerard Butler). He, in turn, is part of The Wild Bunch, a group of law-breaking opportunists. He’s also been shafted by Lenny when trying to make a land deal of his own. But then, everything gets further complicated when a drug-addicted rock star and the robbery of the lucky painting are added into the mix.

This is all just the outer web of the story, and while it seems confusing in print, on the screen it’s a well-paced, laugh-inducing ride of crime and sadistic punishment.  Leading the path of mirth is Butler, who is able to maintain a cool air of toughness and cockiness against some awkward, Joe-regular tendencies.  He’s given great moments of laughter intermingled with action, and thrives when he’s pitted against an unstoppable Russian foe that makes the Energizer bunny seem weak and lazy.

The film slowly gains momentum after introducing the characters and the plot, and is rarely derailed from the increasing pace and mayhem. There are, however, moments of distracting familiarity – not for specific movie themes, but a certain Quentin Tarantino film. Like Pulp Fiction, RocknRolla includes a mysterious object (Uri’s painting) that is never seen, a wacky, stylish, and memorable dance between Butler and Newton, and a particularly kinky torture scene. Luckily, each piece fits into the narrative, and while completely old-hat, is still fun and enjoyable.

Yes, Ritchie retreated back into the familiar for RocknRolla, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing. In this case, it means getting thoroughly enjoyable good guys, bad guys, and entirely irresistible law-breaking confusion.