It’s always nice to see a celebrity reach out to support and help another when they are almost helpless. Something similar happened with Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels’ director, Guy Ritchie. None other than Tom Cruise himself managed to save the sinking boat of a film that was Guy Ritchie’s directorial debut and Jason Statham’s feature film debut.
While he was not directly involved in the film, Tom Cruise, with his heart of gold, went out of his way to help secure theatrical distribution for the movie. This allowed Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels to become a commercial success and was even nominated for a BAFTA. Thanks to the film’s success Guy Ritchie was able to rope Brad Pitt for his 2000 film, Snatch.
How Tom Cruise Helped Guy Ritchie’s Crime Comedy
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During his appearance on BBC Radio 4’s The Business of Film with Mark Kermode, Matthew Vaugh talked about how Tom Cruise helped the film become a reality. Vaughn was the top producer of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels which was directed by Guy Ritchie. Vaugh stated that while Cruise wasn’t linked to the film at all, he was acquaintances with executive producer Trudi Styler.
When no one was ready to buy the film, Vaugh wanted to give up. However, he decided to give the film one last shot and asked Styler to call in Cruise for a favor. Cruise agreed to attend the buyers’ screening of the film and his enthusiasm for the film turned the buyers’ opinions around which started a bidding war.
“It was hysterical. You had all these mid-level executives sitting there, and Cruise walked in. He saw them all sit up and pay attention, all getting on their phones, and suddenly all these senior executives joined the screening. […] At the end, Tom got up in front of everyone and said ‘this is the best movie I’ve seen in years, you guys would be fools not to buy it.'”
Thanks to Cruise, Ritchie’s directorial debut was able to see the light of day and went on to make about $28 million on a budget of just $800 thousand. Cruise sure knows how to get things done!
Tom Cruise’s Help Led to Brad Pitt’s Collab with Guy Ritchie
Vaugh and Ritchie regrouped to make yet another crime comedy, Snatch. Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels actor Jason Statham and a few other actors also joined the duo for the film. Somehow, Ritchie was able to rope in megastar Brad Pitt for the film. Apparently, Pitt reached out to Ritchie to see if there was a role for him in the film. The director replied, “yes,” even though he didn’t have a place for the actor. Afterward, Ritchie had to rewrite the script in order to incorporate Pitt’s character, Mickey O’Neil or One Punch Mickey.
According to IMDb, when Ritchie told Pitt that he would be playing a boxer, Pitt was unsure. This dilemma stemmed from the fact that he had just done Fight Club. However, the actor agreed regardless as he wanted to work with Ritchie.
Snatch went on to make $83 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of $10 million. Not only was the film a box office success but it was also well-received by the audience. It looks like Cruise’s little help took Ritchie and the team a long way!
You can stream Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels on Prime Video and you can rent/buy Snatch on Prime Video as well.
Source: BBC Radio 4’s The Business of Film with Mark Kermode
