Guy Ritchie's career has been a rollercoaster ride, marked by significant highs and notable lows. He first gained acclaim with his two immensely popular gangster comedies, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, both set in the vibrant Cockney milieu. However, Ritchie's trajectory took a downturn with Swept Away, a film that became infamous for its failure, followed by Revolver, which also flopped but remained relatively obscure. These setbacks could have derailed his career, but Ritchie seized the opportunity to return to his roots with RocknRolla, a gangster comedy that aimed to recapture the essence of his earlier successes.

In a similar vein to how John Wayne is synonymous with Westerns, Keira Knightley has built her reputation by starring in period pieces. She appears to play these roles with the ease that might elude other, less talented or fortunate actors. Knightley's talent can be observed even in playing the larger-than-life real personality that is the protagonist of The Duchess, a 2008 biopic directed by Saul Dibb.

(SPECIAL NOTE: Capsule version of the review is available hereIn the past century, all those seeking simple but effective entertainment in films were usually best served by the Western genre. The basics of such simple but effective entertainment are today provided by semi-nostalgic films like Appaloosa, a 2008 Western directed by Ed Harris.

In contemporary Hollywood, celebrities often uncritically accept the narratives spun by unnamed US intelligence officials, treating them as gospel, even when these narratives advocate for policies that could lead to concentration camps for half of all Americans or bring the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation. This stands in stark contrast to the climate of suspicion and disdain that characterised US public sentiment towards the intelligence community in the years following the failures leading up to 9/11 and the Iraq War. The 2008 black comedy Burn After Reading, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, encapsulates this ambivalence, reflecting a time when both Hollywood and much of the American public were deeply sceptical of governmental authority, particularly that of the CIA.

The third instalment often marks a pivotal moment, typically signalling when the film series begins to falter. This trend holds true even for the most successful film of its time, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the 2007 period fantasy adventure directed by Gore Verbinski. At World’s End is not a straightforward sequel; rather, it is part of a two-part narrative shot back-to-back with its predecessor, Dead Man's Chest, and released with a one-year gap.

Jiří Menzel stands out as one of those rare filmmakers who achieved remarkable acclaim with his feature debut. His 1966 film, Closely Watched Trains, a black comedy set against the backdrop of World War II, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Despite this auspicious beginning, Menzel struggled to replicate such success throughout his career, although many of his subsequent works garnered prestigious awards and enjoyed popularity, particularly in the West. Critics often viewed his unique brand of Czech humour as an indirect yet ingeniously subversive critique of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Following the end of the Cold War, Menzel produced fewer films, yet some, including his 2006 period black comedy I Served the King of England, continued to attract attention and provoke discussion.