Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Even when I accounted for the limitations of the 16mm source, this became a problematic presentation.
Sharpness seemed adequate at best, as the image lacked great definition. Some of that reflected the source, but the omnipresent edge haloes damaged accuracy and gave the image a persistent sense of mushiness.
Some shimmering occurred, but I saw no jagged edges. Given the 16mm source, plenty of grain appeared, and the image also displayed sporadic print flaws. While not dominant, I saw more than a few instances of specks and marks.
Colors opted for a heavy yellow/sepia tone, with only occasional signs of other hues. These looked bland and flat.
Blacks tended to feel crushed and overly dark, while shadows were fairly dense. As noted, the source limited the potential quality of the image, but I know Barrels could look better than this disaster.
Though not great, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 track at least easily outdid the visuals. Despite the movie’s action orientation, the soundfield tended to feel less active than one would expect.
This left us with a mix that favored the forward channels. Music showed good stereo presence and effects spread across the speakers reasonably well, but the whole package felt less involving than anticipated.
The surrounds didn’t lack any information, but they became surprisingly passive partners. During the most violent scenes, these came to life acceptably well, though they could seem a bit “speaker specific” and they didn’t mesh as smoothly as I’d expect.
Audio quality felt more than acceptable, with speech that felt natural and concise. Any intelligibility issues connected to the accents, not the recordings.
Music appeared fairly full, though the score could’ve seemed a bit more dynamic. Effects felt about the same, as they showed reasonable heft but didn’t come across as particularly robust. All in all, this was an adequate mix but not a memorable one.
Only minor extras appear here, and One Smoking Camera runs 11 minutes, 10 seconds and brings notes from director of photography Tim Maurice-Jones, editor Niven Howie, and effects coordinator Simon Gosling.
The featurette looks at storyboards, photography, editing, and effects. “Camera” becomes a pretty good overview of the subject matter.
Lock, Stock and Two F**cking Barrels goes for one minute, 55 seconds and offers a montage of “F-word” uses in the film. This seems pointless to me, but it’s harmless.
Guy Ritchie’s debut, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels can seem rough around the edges. Nonetheless, it packs a lively wallop and becomes a fun entry in the crime drama. The Blu-ray comes with adequate audio but visuals look terrible and we find skimpy supplements. The film needs a new transfer.