Margot Robbie’s favourite British movie: “I’ve watched it a thousand times”
We are living in an era of surprising taste and guiltless pleasures, with everyone from the likes of Celine Song and Paul Thomas Anderson revealing surprise favourite films that encourage all of us to be freed from the pressures of good taste and pseudo-intellectualism. If Anderson can publicly profess his love for Ted, a movie about a stuffed bear that comes to life, then we can wholeheartedly embrace art that might not have that much to say but simply succeeds at being very entertaining.
With the rise of Letterboxd and the Criterion Closet, we now have intimate insights into the film watching habits of the people we see on the silver screen, with everyone from Willem Dafoe and Ayo Edebiri revealing their favourite films and true extent of their cinephilia. However, everyone still has their comfort watches that might not make sense to anyone else, with Margot Robbie describing the one unexpected film she always returns to.
Guy Ritchie has been a creator of cult classic British films for many years, with the director becoming known for his gangster stories and knack for violence. From The Gentlemen, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the live-action Aladdin remake, the director has become one of the biggest commercial directors to come from this side of the pond, making high-stakes stories that perhaps appeal to our innate desire for chaos.
Robbie has not had any direct experience in the gangster genre, with the closest being her collaboration with Martin Scorsese on The Wolf of Wall Street, with Jordan Belfort perhaps being the modern equivalent of a gangster. The actor has recently starred in similarly commercial projects, whether it be Barbie, Suicide Squad or her upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean remake.
But surprisingly, there is one genre that seems to appeal to another side of her cinematic taste, describing her love for Ritchie’s 2000 film, Snatch.
Starring Jason Statham, Alan Ford, Stephen Graham and Brad Pitt (who delivers a truly atrocious Irish accent), the story follows a group of boxing promoters, bookmakers, Russian gangsters, robbers and jewellers who try to track down a stolen diamond. It’s an unruly crew, but it results in a high-octane story about the combined effort from a group of misfits and their attempt to cash a large reward.
It’s a wild and thrilling ride that never misses, whether it be through the edgy British humour, charisma between the cast or nearly indeterminable accents. For Robbie, the film remains high on her list, saying, “Snatch is one of my favourite films. Ever. I’ve watched it like a thousand times”.
She might not have worked with Ritchie yet, but it seems like it could be a likely collaboration given her prowess over the industry and newfound power as a producer, giving her the ability to choose almost anyone she wants to work with and add to her already stacked list of credits.
Ritchie is rumoured to be working on a picture with Rosamund Pike and Benedict Cumberbatch called Wife and Dog, and while few details have been released, we can be sure to see a few of his staple trademarks in there that Robbie loves.
