Screenwriter's Breakdown: Guy Ritchie's Flowers
Guy Ritchie, a UK-born director, filmmaker and writer. Known for literally being an icon when it comes to action-packed scripts and the repeated use of favorites when it comes to actors and music.
Another thing that makes him an absolute icon [besides having been married to Madonna] is the fact that he often says that he skipped out on film school because he simply wasn’t impressed by what was being put out by people who had gone. Now, this is not to knock people who pursue any type of film school or creative degrees because I certainly am not opposed to a degree or two, but I mean this is such an iconic statement from someone who then went on to create iconic movies!
Let’s break down two of my current favorites:
Wrath of Man (2021)
This action-packed movie follows the story of a robbery gone wrong from three different perspectives. We start out with the view of two victims who are simply working their route and work our way through to the perpetrators themselves. Not only do I love the way that this story is told, but I also love the cast! I mean, Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Holt McCallany, Eli Broan and the beautiful, Babs Olusanmokun!
I’ve talked about this movie on the blog before so I’ll keep it Breef but if you haven’t checked it out yet then I suggest that you head on over to Amazon Prime and get into it!
guy ritchie’s: The Covenant (2023)
This movie follows the story of a military interpreter who risks his safety and his life by carrying a military sergeant across very dangerous terrain in Afghanistan during the war. This movie certainly kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the story depicted on the big screen.
A movie with themes that reverberate through the times always hits close to the heart because I think that these are things that we need to see in order to learn them: humility, perseverance, sacrifice, selflessness and genuine bonds.
Now, generally Guy Ritchie has gripping movies that include little moments of comedy like the jokes between the servicemen in Wrath of Man or the way that they poked fun at the fact that Jason Statham’s character preferred Impossible Meats over alternatives. In The Covenant, however, these moments did not come but the movie was still enticing because of the acting and the story alone.
If Hollywood hasn’t fully given Guy roses yet for his writing, directing or his vision then I would personally like to give them now!
Final Draft’s Take:
A blog post via Final Draft presented excellent takeaways from this script and I’d love to reiterate them here because I certainly agree:
“Use a different angle/POV, or entry point to a familiar story
Add intrigue by teasing out the protangonist’s backstory
Don’t be frightened of flashbacks or non-linear storytelling, especially if it adds intrgue
Even in an action film or thriller, have a strong emotional through-line for your protangonist
Don’t be afraid to stretch your talent.”
Usually my Screenwriter’s Breakdowns include a script to review but I truly wanted to do an appreciation post for Mr. Ritchie and all that he does [not like he’ll ever see this].
Thanks, as always, for reading!
Best,
Bree 🤍