[Commlist] Call for Chapters - ReFocus: The Films of Guy Ritchie

Deadline for submissions: September 30th 2024

Editors
Dr Pete Turner (Oxford Brookes University) and James Shelton 
(Buckinghamshire New University)
Contact Email
(refocusguyritchie /at/ gmail.com)

Call for Chapters - ReFocus: The Films of Guy Ritchie

The career of Guy Ritchie encompasses an eclectic selection of films 
across a number of genres. His most noted work is in the arena of the 
gangster film, spanning from 1995’s The Hard Case to 2019’s The 
Gentleman, and evidences a journey from genre-defining texts (Lock, 
Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, 1998), through critical disappointments 
(Revolver, 2005) attempted returns to form (RockNRolla, 2008) and recent 
more successful reinventions of the British Gangster paradigm (The 
Gentlemen, 2019 and TV series, 2024).
Alongside this thread Ritchie has had successful forays into 
larger-budget studio films, including the Sherlock Holmes franchise and 
working for Disney on 2019’s live-action remake of Aladdin. Less 
critically successful studio films have also come out of this – 2015’s 
The Man From U.N.C.L.E and 2017’s King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword 
stand out as examples – and yet Ritchie has not revisited the critical 
dismantling received by 2002’s Swept Away. More recently forays into 
action films have become Ritchie’s standard output, including Wrath of 
Man (2021), Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023) and recently The 
Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024).
This volume will be the first comprehensive study on Guy Richie’s work, 
and in the manner of previous ReFocus collections seeks to 
contextualise, problematise and theorise the entire canon of Ritchie’s 
films. Proposals are welcomed from a variety of theoretical, historical 
and methodological approaches. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

The specific contributions by Ritchie to genre film
The cultural impact of his films
Themes that are evidenced in his films, particularly in reference to 
their engagement – or potential lack thereof – with gender and race 
perspectives
British identity in Ritchie’s films
Stylistic trademarks and directorial techniques
Representations of masculinity – including problematic, toxic or other 
forms of masculinity being represented Crime and underworld narratives, 
including Intertextuality and Inspired Works
Collaborations with crew and actors
Cultural influences and references Ritchie’s engagement with mainstream 
studio films and big budget productions, including Disney
Suggestions for other topics are also welcomed as part of this call.
We are currently soliciting abstracts of approximately 350 words for 
essays to be included in a book-length anthology to be published in 
2025. The Films of Guy Ritchie will be a scholarly volume published in 
the University of Edinburgh’s ReFocus series, examining European and 
International directors. ReFocus features a series of contemporary 
methodological and theoretical approaches to the interdisciplinary 
analyses and interpretations of the work of these international 
directors. The series editors are Robert Singer, Gary D Rhodes and 
Stefanie Van de Peer.
Essays accepted and included in the refereed anthology should be 
approximately 6,000 to 8,000 words in length and referenced in the 
Chicago endnote style by March 31st, 2025.  Please send a 350-word 
proposal and short bio to the editorial team by September 30th 2024 at 
(refocusguyritchie /at/ gmail.com).

About the Editors

Dr Pete Turner is a senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and the 
author of Found Footage Horror Films: A Cognitive Approach and a 
monograph on The Blair Witch Project as part of Auteur’s Devil’s 
Advocates series.
James Shelton is the Senior Research Administrator for Buckinghamshire 
New University. His research in film narrative investigates the social 
function of retribution and equilibrium, with previous research focusing 
this approach on a broad body of texts including the Sicario films, the 
James Bond film franchise and an upcoming text on Cult Horror films.

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