REVOLVER (2005): Guy Ritchie’s Ego Trip That Flopped | Four Play
Revolver (2005), directed by Guy Ritchie, is one of the most infamous critical flops of the 2000s that sits at just 15% on Rotten Tomatoes. Starring Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, André 3000, and Mark Strong, the film attempts to fuse Ritchie’s trademark British gangster style with metaphysical philosophy, numerology, and psychoanalysis. The result: a messy, ambitious, and wildly divisive film that critics savaged and fans continue to debate.
In this episode, Richard Lewis, MonteCristo, and Thorin continue the “Spit Roast” arc with Thorin’s pick: a movie he enjoys but knows the others will hate. They debate whether Revolver is an overambitious failure or an unfairly maligned experiment. Along the way, they discuss Jason Statham’s miscasting, Ray Liotta’s robe-clad meltdown, André 3000’s surprising performance, and the film’s obsession with “ego.” They also reflect on how Ritchie’s career imploded after Swept Away and Revolver, and how he later clawed his way back with RocknRolla, Sherlock Holmes, and The Gentlemen.
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Four Play is a film podcast that selects four movies around a genre, theme, director, or actor. Think of it like a book club for cinema! Just watch one movie each week and then join Richard Lewis, MonteCristo, and Thorin for film analysis, critiques, and banter.
🎬 Films in this Arc
1. The 13th Warrior (1999): Vikings, Antonio Banderas, and a box-office disaster
2. Revolver (2005): Guy Ritchie’s messy gangster–philosophy experiment
3. The Beast Must Die (1974): Campy werewolf mystery with a killer twist
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009): Roger Ebert’s four-star “rom-com” punching bag
▶️ Watch the full Spit Roast Arc playlist:
• THE 13TH WARRIOR (1999): Epic Disaster or ...
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⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Intro to Revolver and why Thorin picked it
11:12 Revolver vs. Guy Ritchie’s earlier work
20:07 Summary of the film and Ray Liotta’s performance
31:32 Jason Statham, supporting cast, and bloated runtime
43:45 Pretentious philosophy and spiritual pretension
57:27 André 3000, Mark Strong, and failed ambitions
1:11:55 Ebert’s review and final thoughts
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