Written and directed by Guy Ritchie (1998).
Starring Nick Moran, Jason Flemmyng, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Stratham, Vinnie Jones, Sting.

Right, here it is - the best British film of the 90's. Yes, I know it only came out in 1998 but it still knocked the competition into a cocked (bowler) hat. The sharpest script since the magnificent Withnail & I and an excellent cast of mostly new faces bring London's shady dealings to new heights/depths.

Eddie, who can "hustle a few quid here and there" but who's "real talent lies with cards, and gambling with cards" manages to persuade his three mates Tom, Bacon and Soap to each put up 25 thousand quid so they'll have 100 thousand which will let them join in an exclusive card game hosted by local mobster 'Hatchet' Harry Lonsdale.

Eddie will be their card 'shark' (yes, it's 'card sharp' but that doesn't work as well in this line) but there are bigger fish in this pool as Harry has the game fixed. Ed loses all the cash plus more that he borrowed during the game from, yes you've guessed it - Harry, and he and the other three have to work out how they're going to raise 250,000 pounds within one week. Ed's dad (Sting) may have to forfeit his lovely bar...what'll the lads do ??

What follows is a brilliantly written comic/gangster/double-crossing caper involving several parties who are all out to rip each other off. The story speeds along with no padding whatsoever and all ties up cleverly at the end.

The songs used in the film were well selected and fit in with the story unlike in some movies where the music chosen is merely to make the film seem 'hip'. The film borrows many styles and tricks from other movies and the cockney accents and rhyming slang are hard to follow at first but the story is so good and the film is put together so well that when you get to the end what you want to do is watch it all over again, right away. There can't be too many films you can say that of.
All eyes are on Guy Ritchie to see what he'll come up with next...