Grade: B

Verdict: A manic reworking of the “Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels” formula.

Details: Starring Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Farina. Directed by Guy Ritchie. Rated R for strong violence, profanity and some nudity. One hour, 43 minutes.

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Review: With his new movie “Snatch,” writer-director Guy (Mr. Madonna) Ritchie reworks the gangster double-crosses and ricochet coincidences of his “Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.” Another hi-test flick for the lads, it has only three or four female characters, and they barely score any screen time.

No, consider this a blokes-only affair. It's the cinematic equivalent of a No-Girls-Allowed clubhouse, where men box with bare knuckles, guns get drawn every few seconds, and a dispute can be brought to a definitive close with the words, “Feed 'im to the pigs, Errol.”

That command comes from Brick Top (Alan Ford), a fearsome London hood responsible for anything you can bet on. Whether it's hungry dogs in a pit or boxers in the ring, he's king of the bookies. And he's who novice boxing promoters Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tommy (Stephen Graham) have to deal with when they enter this odds-off underworld. Their latest fighter is Mickey (Brad Pitt), an Irishman whose fists are as direct as his dialogue is comically incomprehensible.

Oh, but hang on a minute. Did I mention The Diamond? The Diamond as big as a paperweight, the one that's stolen by Franky Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro) and cronies dressed as Hassidic Jews?

Well see, there's this immense diamond, and everybody wants it — including Brick Top, the Russian gangster Boris (Rade Sherbedgia) and the American fence Avi (Dennis Farina).

As in “Barrels,” Ritchie treats the seamier streets of London as a sort of manic gameboard, letting his characters collide with (or barely miss) one another at dizzying speed. It's a high-testosterone movie, shot with whiplash editing, and after a while Ritchie's jigsaw plot construction becomes an end to itself. That is, it sometimes seems that the director is more interested in entertaining himself than he is the audience. He dares us to keep up, and sometimes it's more frustrating then fun; your hand may itch to hit a “pause” button while you sort out the pileup of plot twists.

Even so, he's got a great eye for memorable mugs, whether it's the granite face of former soccer player Vinnie Jones (a “Barrels” alum), or the cute dog who swallows a squeeze toy and squeaks with every breath.

Though he's the big bankable name, Pitt fits in with the rest of the cockeyed ensemble, and he even lets himself get upstaged once or twice by Jason Flemyng as a mumbling pal who's even harder to understand than Mickey. All the cast members turn in cranked-up performances, sustaining Ritchie's sardonic tough-guy tone.

In fact, it's the actors' conviction, no matter how bloody or ridiculous the plot turns, that gives the movie much of its loony humor. And that spells trouble for Ritchie's next flick. It's been reported that his new wifie Madonna will star in that one, called “The Mole.” And you couldn't ask for a more self-conscious performer than Mrs. Ritchie.

And another thing: “The Mole” is supposed to be another British gangster caper. With “Barrels” and now “Snatch,” Ritchie shows he knows the territory well. But maybe now it's time to head off in a new, less familiar direction.

— Steve Murray, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution