```
Perhaps because the cost issue was resolved, filming progressed much faster, although there were still many troubles. For example, the guy playing Chris, the only villain who profited in the entire film, had a menacing face but lacked the thug vibe compared to the original football hooligan, Vinnie Jones. Adrian had to spend most of the time cultivating the right feeling when shooting his scenes. There was no choice; Vinnie Jones was busy trying to set the fastest red card record. How could he have time to act in movies? Besides, Adrian had no connections in the UK football scene.
During this period, Dennis was a big help to him. This down-and-out former actor not only devoted himself to playing his own role but also frequently discussed and helped other actors adjust their emotions, setting a good example. All of this made Adrian secretly nod approvingly. Initially, he only invited Dennis for fun when he was still a waiter. However, now it seemed this guy still had potential to be tapped.
Interestingly, this guy shared both British and Chinese heritage with Adrian, saving him the trouble of arranging lessons for a British accent and providing a natural sense of familiarity. Maybe the one who sent him wanted Adrian to feel better, as his grandmother was a British woman with Chinese heritage, and Adrian learned to speak some Chinese for fun as a child. However, his grandmother had only half Chinese heritage and was a second or third-generation immigrant, so her Mandarin was not very accurate, which made Adrian's Chinese quite poor.
Of course, for Adrian now, this was a perfect cover. It was also why he naturally liked Dennis, who shared Chinese heritage but couldn't speak a word of Chinese, allowing him to feel a faint connection with his past life rather than feeling so... lonely?
If things worked out well, nurturing a brand new male star was also an option. Adrian thought to himself. But the idea was fleeting; the most crucial task was to finish shooting and producing the damned "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," as the Venice Film Festival was just a month away.
"What the hell is going on?" The two people outside the room finally said after seeing the bodies of the two robbers who stole antique guns lying in the hallway.
"Damn, not again?" The character played by Dennis peeked inside with a grimace. They had just come from their apartment full of bodies and hadn't entirely recovered from the shock.
After exchanging glances, the two cautiously entered the room, where three bodies lay on the ground, desks, and behind the door soon appeared before their eyes. Especially the fat man who initially threatened and tempted them, his eyes wide open.
"I've had enough. I'm leaving." One of them shook his head, seeming eager to leave, when the character played by Dennis stopped him abruptly, "Tom, that's our bag."
He pointed to the bag of British Pounds they got from robbing a drug dealer sitting on the desk. He walked over, carefully avoiding the bodies on the ground, cautiously picked up the canvas bag, and took a look.
"Yes, it's our bag!" Dennis quickly grabbed the bag, ready to leave.
"Good!" Adrian exclaimed loudly, holding the camera up and announced, "Great, guys, we got the shot. Now reset the scene immediately, make it quick!"
Just as the crew began to let out sighs of relief, they quickly groaned and got moving again. Even so, Adrian continued to rush them, eager to start filming the next shot.
"Ed, can't you just relax? We have time." Dennis came over after a few minutes' break, persuaded by others, "It's a very good movie, and you will succeed."
Despite the flattery, it was also true. The whole story could be simply told as: The character Ed, played by Dennis (God knows why he would name the character after himself—Dennis's words), was a card-playing expert. He and three other rogue friends pooled some money to try to win big at a game hosted by the infamous "Axe" Harry, only for "Axe" Harry, who had designs on Ed's father's pub, to cheat during the game.
Ed and his friends naturally lost miserably and owed money to the gang, which had to be paid back, yet he couldn't ask his father for help, so the four of them racked their brains trying to raise funds. When they inadvertently overheard their neighbor planning to rob some youths buying marijuana, they hatched a plan to rob them after the robbery.
Meanwhile, Harry had sent two bumbling robbers to steal two antique guns he wanted, and due to a series of coincidences, these two antique guns ended up with Ed and his friends. They used these guns to rob the money stolen by their neighbors. However, things were far from over. Their neighbors soon discovered it was their neighbors who robbed them and naturally sought revenge. And another mob leader backed the youths originally robbed; upon hearing his goods were taken, he also came storming in with his men, seeking blood.
Then, through another series of coincidences, a gunfight broke out between two gangs at the four protagonists' house, ultimately leaving both sides nearly dead. When the four main characters returned, all they found was a house full of corpses. Although one guy managed to escape with the money and antique guns, he haplessly ran into Chris, the thug sent to collect the debt. Chris beat him up, then took the money and guns to Axe Harry's place. The two bungling robbers who feared being killed if they didn't retrieve the antique guns then followed, and since they had only ever contacted Harry's assistant, another fatal shoot-out ensued and both sides again ended up dead.
So, in the end, apart from the four main characters, everyone else—the drug dealers, robbers, gang leaders—were all dramatically killed. Oh yes, and there was one more survivor, not only untouched but also walking away with all the money: Chris, the thug.
Possibly Guy Ritchie intended to "tease" the traditional belief that good deeds bring rewards this way since, compared to other characters in the film, Chris was much more righteous. First, he fulfilled his duties as a henchman well, always diligently completing his boss's tasks, and never once considered running off with the money during debt collections. Secondly, he was a decent father; though crude and foul-mouthed, he never allowed his son to swear.
Though he was a thug, compared to others—not to mention the drug dealers, robbers, and gang leaders, even the four main characters dreaming of getting rich overnight only to fall into traps—Chris was quite diligent. He even specifically told the four main characters how valuable those two antique guns were, although by that point, one of them already left to dispose of the guns. No wonder the money ended up with Chris.
Well, regardless of what Guy Ritchie had in mind, it was a fascinating story. Initially, all the characters seemed unrelated, but as the plot progressed, they began to influence each other, growing extremely dramatic. The second-and-third-rate actors involved might have initially planned to finish their work and move on, but they quickly found themselves getting drawn into the film, even if the scenes shot were fragmented—that's the appeal of a circular-narrative film.
Notably, they were currently shooting the most thrilling and entertaining scenes of the entire film—the events transpiring in Axe Harry's office and the four protagonists' apartment, among other indoor settings. For instance, after Ed lost money, a friend warned him that the "Axe" Harry is ruthless, and you'd meet a terrible end if you didn't pay as an example he said once, someone provoked Harry, who grabbed the female vibrator on the desk and beat the guy to death with it!
Picture this, an old man grabbing a vibrator the size of an eggplant, swinging it at someone sitting right in front of him—what a hilarious scene. Jeff Elbro, the second-rate stage actor from a London theater who played Axe Harry, admitted it was a fun challenge.
"Honestly, I've never played such a character before," the old man laughed heartily after finishing the scene, swinging the vibrator around playfully, unwilling to let it go.
And during the filming of this scene, disruptions were endless, either because someone couldn't hold their laughter or because it was so hard to hold it in that props were moved around, nearly driving Adrian into a rage.
But regardless of anything, the fact that everyone thought it was a great film remained true. Therefore, Dennis took this opportunity to offer some flattery and speak well of others.
As before, Adrian stared at Dennis for a while, then turned his head and waved to the bustling crowd, "If you have things roughly set up in 30 minutes, you can take the next 30 minutes to relax properly."
Sounds of relieved sighs immediately filled the air, and their hands got increasingly efficient.
"Listen, Dan, even though your performance was outstanding, helping me a lot, that doesn't mean you can plead for them repeatedly, understood?" Adrian half-warned Dennis at this point.
"I know my boundaries, Ed." Dennis hurriedly waved his hand, indicating his understanding of Adrian's message.
Adrian said no more, nodded, and went busy with other things, while the onlookers finally felt at ease, although they hadn't noticed Adrian and Dennis exchange a look before Adrian left.
```