UNITED KINGDOM: Madonna is standing by her man in the face of heavy criticsm, but wouldn't want her kids to see his latest flick

Record ID: 220458

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Madonna is standing by her man in the face of heavy criticsm, but wouldn't want her kids to see his latest flick
  • Date: 22nd September 2005
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 20, 2005) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDRE BENJAMIN, SAYING: "Guy Ritchie, you know, respect for his past work, respect for the characters he creates."
  • Embargoed: 7th October 2005 13:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVAXQA8E9RLNB4I49GMX99S7N4Q
  • Story Text: Madonna defended her husband Guy Ritchie's latest film "Revolver" when the couple attended the London premiere on Tuesday (September 20) after a series of damning reviews varying from broken storytelling to too much violence. The singer, wearing a sling due to a riding accident last month, said the movie is clearly not suitable for her kids, but added that the level of violence is a reflection of the world.
    "I wouldn't want my son to see it. I wouldn't want my daughter to see it. It is an adult film. It is very violent, but I think it reflects the violence of the world that we live in," she told Reuters.
    "Well, I think you need to see the film in order to understand the context of the violence within it," explained Ritchie.
    The film stars Ritchie regular Jason Statham. He previously worked with Ritchie on the acclaimed 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' (1998) and 'Snatch' (2000), after he met the director on a modelling job.
    The action hero, who prefers to do his own stunts, thinks that some violent scenes actually support the plot.
    "Well it's violence for violence sake, you know, if there is such a thing. I mean it helps with the story, I mean I don't think this kind of story can live without the violence within it. So, It necessary, that's what I gotta say about that," he said.
    Jake Green (Statham) is out to get revenge on mob killer Dorothy Macha (Ray Liotta), after his release from jail. During his seven year sentence Jake has learnt the formula for the ultimate con and is determined to use it against the man who put him there in the first place. He visits Macha's casino and gets himself into trouble by publicly humiliating the gangster in a game of chance. Jake is then saved by Zach (Vincent Pastore) and chess player Avi (Andre Benjamin), who offer him protection.
    Benjamin, better known as 'Andre 3000' from the Grammy Award winning duo 'Outkast', said working with Guy Ritchie was the main attraction for him to do this film.
    "Guy Ritchie, you know, respect for his past work, respect for the characters he creates," he said.
    Pastore, only started acting in his early forties and has built up a reputation as a reliable supporting actor with a part in Martin Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' (1990) and his portrayal of Salvatore 'Big Pussy' Bonpensiero on HBO's Emmy award winning (2000) series 'The Sopranos'.
    The Italian-American sees 'Revolver' as the highlight of his career and is interested in the audience, not the critics.
    "I wanna see how everybody is going to like it, you know, I wanna see the reaction. Because the critics are the worst. The critics will rip you apart, they will destroy you. But, I wanna see how the people feel about this film, so that's why I'm excited to see tonight," he explained.
    Although the movie has been panned by critics, the cast remained excited about the premiere. Actor Ray Liotta blames Guy's status for the harsh reports.
    " I think that Guy, because of his celebrity lifestyle, takes a bigger hit than is probably really deserved. I think that he is an easy target, just because of his lifestyle, so. I mean, I think the movie stands on its own and it's a really good movie. And I think you have to take all that stuff with a grain of salt and really judge it for yourself," he told Reuters.
    The best example of the mixed opinions about Ritchie's latest flick was the abundance of cheering and booing as he posed for photographers with his wife.
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