John Mackenzie does a masterful directorial job in this movie as does cinematography by Phil Meheux and brilliant script by Barrie Keeffe. Now with that said the movie revolves around Bob Hoskins who in this movie plays one of the toughest movie characters you've ever seen up on the big screen. Bob Hoskins just rocks in this movie! And you might be like "Bob Hoskins... Eddie Valiant from Roger Rabbit plays a tough character????"... and yes after you see Hoskins in this role you will be like Bob is the man! This is one of those awesome rare performances in a movie where an actor just *is* that character (in the same vain as say a Al Pacino as Tony Montana) and makes it into someone we can enjoy and really really be blown away with movie coolness by... all at the same time just completely liking the character they have created.<br /><br />Helen Mirren is very sexy in this movie and she plays her role perfectly... you never quite can tell where her alliance truly is... and you kind of get the sense she is beautiful girl who got caught in a world she long had dreamed about but once there wished for a way out.<br /><br />It was cool seeing Razor being played by actor P.H. Moriarty who was Hatchet Harry in the recent great movie "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." Alan Ford who plays Brick Top in Guy Ritchies latest movie stars here as Jack.<br /><br />Now be prepared the first 30 minutes of this movie sort of takes you through a maze... a long elaborate set up that sets everything in motion that happens in the movie... which at first is confusing but on repeat viewings you will see how perfect it works for the movie.<br /><br />Once the movie kicks into gear you as the movie audience become like a right hand man to Bob Hoskins... you are right there with him at every turn as he tries to figure out what is going on. You become so engrossed and involved with the movie you aren't merely watching it your a part of it... your his right hand man... I don't mean this in a literal take it right off the page kinda way... but in that way of explaining in just how involved this movie gets you into it and Bob Hoskins.<br /><br />Now the ending of the movie just gets my blood pumping. I spent an entire day just thinking about the end of this movie. The more and more I thought about it the more I liked the ending but not in the usual way one would like the ending to a movie. Without ruining the movie lets just say it doesn't have a *Hollywood ending*. I wonder how most people react to the ending especially back when the movie first came out... and what the sorta mood was as people got up out of their seats and left the theater. This is a gangster movie where the bad guys are really really bad and not just sorta or half way bad... but I mean they are gonna do whatever they gotta do to take care of business... they aren't sprinkled with badness they are walking and breathing badness.<br /><br />I don't think I'll ever forget the ending though. The ending will be carved into my mind for quite some time. It's great to see that Criterion has added this movie to it's collection so if you have a DVD player and some extra money... go out and get this movie to watch (of course the Criterion version is gonna be the best way to see and experience it unless you happen to have your own 35mm print of the movie and a private movie theater in your home). Though if you had a private movie theater in your shower I'd say this isn't a shower kinda movie but a movie that you must watch from beginning to end without any interruptions where for one part of a day or night, you unplug all your phones, computer, turn off your cel phone/pager... and hit play and let the movie magic of this movie unfold.