Filmmaker Guy Ritchie is known for his diverse portfolio, spanning action thrillers, spy tales, and period mysteries over his extensive career. However, the distinct approach is not limited to the movie genres only, as seen in his approach to crafting the script for his debut feature, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | Credit: Gramercy PicturesA still from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | Credit: Gramercy Pictures
Ritchie, who revealed that he has “spectacular dyslexia” wrote his first-ever movie on napkins, before transitioning to the more traditional process of scriptwriting.

Guy Ritchie Wrote Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels on Napkins
In a conversation with Alex Shin, filmmaker Guy Ritchie shared insight into the writing process for his debut film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, highlighting how his dyslexia has influenced his approach.
Guy Ritchie reflected how he initially drafted Lock, Stock and Two Barrels on napkinsFilmmaker Guy Ritchie | Credit: YouTube/Alex Shin 신수혁
He shared that his spelling and writing skills have remained unchanged since he was 12 years old. However, despite being aware of the lack of improvement, he spends around three hours daily on various writing tasks. Ritchie said,

“[M]y writing, my spelling hasn’t improved since I was 12. I know it’s not going to improve, but there are some people who think that it’s an unconscious addiction to looking like you can’t spell.”

Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, and Jason Statham in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) | Credit: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
During the conversation, he also recounted how he initially wrote the script of his 1998 black comedy on napkins, before spending a significant amount of time to draft it on a “maths book.” He shared, “So, yeah, Lock, Stocks was, I wrote on napkins and so on.”
“And then I eventually wrote it in one of those sort of maths books, you know?” he further revealed. He later hired professionals to transform the script into an industry-standard format, ultimately contributing to advancing his career.
How Tom Cruise Helped Guy Ritchie’s Debut Feature
While Tom Cruise wasn’t directly involved in the 1998 film, he did eventually play a very significant role in its success. The producer of the movie, Matthew Vaughn, reflected on how the action star contributed to the film’s success in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s The Business of Film with Mark Kermode.

Tom Cruise speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con InternationalTom Cruise | Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The producer shared that securing distribution for the movie was challenging, and he even considered leaving the industry. However, he then asked the executive producer Trudi Styler, who happened to be acquainted with Cruise, to arrange for him to attend a screening for potential buyers in the US. He recalled,

“It was hysterical. You had all these mid-level executives sitting there, and Cruise walked in. He saw them all sit up and pay attention, all getting on their phones, and suddenly all these senior executives joined the screening.”

Jason Statham portrayed the role of Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking BarrelsJason Statham in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | Credit: IMDb
As the screening came to an end, Cruise declared, “This is the best movie I’ve seen in years, you guys would be fools not to buy it.” The film was eventually released in 1998 and was a huge hit, making $28 million on an estimated budget of $1.3 million.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels also launched the career of Hollywood stars like Jason Statham, and even more than twenty years after its release, the movie continues to be one of the best films of Guy Ritchie’s career.