10 Best Characters In Guy Ritchie Movies

When critics lambasted the indiscernible accents of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Guy Ritchie responded by creating a character that was indecipherable not only to the audience, but also to other characters in the movie. Mickey O'Neil is an Irish traveller/bareknuckle boxer who is hired by Turkish (Jason Statham) to throw a fight organised by ruthless gangster Brick Top (Alan Ford).

Despite being given clear instructions to go down in the fourth round, O'Neil somehow manages to knock his opponent out with a single punch, a feat of incredible strength that seems impossible from the mostly drunk, barely standing fighter. Even though he's landed himself in hot water with a menacing crime lord, Mickey's main concern seems to be acquiring a new caravan for his mother, completely oblivious to the fact that there is a large possibility of him and Turkish being fed to a pack of bloodthirsty pigs.

After watching and enjoying the director's previous film, Brad Pitt approached Guy Ritchie for a chance to be in his next project, and so, the role of Mickey O'Neil was written specifically for him. Whenever he's on screen, Pitt just steals the scene, and is one of the most memorable parts of the whole movie. The running gag of his flat out incomprehensible accent never gets tiring, as the humour mainly comes from how the other characters react to not being able to understand a single word that leaves his mouth.

Hot off of the success of Fight Club (1999), Pitt was one of the biggest actors in Hollywood at the time, so his presence here is not only surprising, but very welcome. His performance is brilliant, and is a perfect example of the type of humour that Guy Ritchie injects into his films.