Guy Ritchie

Guy Ritchie (born 1968) is a British film director and screenwriter, also known for his former marriage to Madonna.

His first film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was a low-budget, humorous crime caper about the London underworld. It was an indie success and critical darling for its fresh, vibrant style. He followed up with Snatch, which was an even bigger success, though some critics complained that he was rehashing his previous film too much. Next, he made Swept Away, a remake of a controversial 1970s Italian film, starring his then-wife Madonna. Swept Away was savaged by critics, and bombed at the box office. When he returned to familiar territory with the crime caper Revolver, he tried to mix things up with a an Evil Plan and an Anvilicious Aesop. The film was so poorly received that it didn't even see wide release in America. Ritchie then made RocknRolla in an obvious attempt to recapture the violent and irreverent underworld hijinks of his first two films. It was recieved better than Revolver, but wasn't really a success. He seemed to be approaching the nadir, but his adaptation of Sherlock Holmes appears to have revived his fortunes; it recieved mostly positive reviews, and was successful at the box office, grossing more than all of his previous films combined.

Filmography:

 * Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
 * Snatch (2000)
 * Swept Away (2002)
 * Revolver (2005)
 * RocknRolla (2008)
 * Sherlock Holmes (2009)
 * Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
 * The Cannonball Run (2014)