King of Hollywood

The plot continued to develop, quickly reaching the point where Axe Harry plotted against Ed's group of four, at which point the story fully unfolded. At the same time, the low chuckles triggered by the two bungling thieves continued, but when Becken was explaining to Ed how ruthless Axe Harry was, the scene where Axe Harry swung a dildo and hit someone made the whole audience burst into laughter.

The movie began reaching its climax, with numerous clues interwoven and connections entangled, making it dizzying, and audiences found themselves helplessly absorbed. The bungling thieves sold the hunting rifles meant for Harry, which were then bought by the four neighbors planning a heist. When the robbers finally broke into the marijuana youths' house, they were nearly taken down by a barely noticeable girl. These events had everyone in stitches while making them more curious about what would happen next.

Things got even more entertaining. The robbers returned only to find they had robbed themselves, discovering it was their neighbors who had done it. The foursome hijacked the marijuana the robbers had stolen and accidentally sold it to the black boss behind the marijuana youths. The robbers decided to "entertain" these four guys, while the black boss also wanted to bring people over to retaliate, leading to two groups arriving at the four's house one after another. However, because the foursome celebrated having not only paid off their debts but also earning a hefty sum, the two groups ended up in a chaotic gunfight in their house, and both sides ended up dead.

The audience roared with laughter watching this sequence, the sound of laughter echoing in the theater. But that wasn't the end. The robbers' leader escaped the gunfight because he lost money inside, jumping out another door with money and two antique guns. Ironically, he ran into Chris, who had come to collect a debt, got knocked out, and lost both the money and the guns. The poor foursome returned to find themselves dropped from heaven to hell. Meanwhile, the two bungling thieves, threatened by Harry, were always trying to get the antique guns back, so they followed the thug Chris to Axe Harry's base. Here was the problem: the bungling thieves and Harry had never met, so no one knew who was who. The bungling thieves, holding guns, wanted to get the antique guns, but Harry was not one to be threatened. A series of mix-ups led to another gunfight, with everyone dead once again.

"What the ** are you doing here?!" Barry, who was in charge of communicating with the bungling thieves and had taken a shot in the gut, screamed, looking at one of the bungling thieves.

"What the ** are you doing here?!" One of the bungling thieves, who had gotten a flying axe in a sensitive spot, similarly screamed back at Barry.

Laughter erupted in the theater once more.

Finally, the movie ended, the theater lights came on, and the audience seemed to be left wanting more, buzzing with conversations. In the light, Adrian glanced around the theater. The 500-seat theater was about 40% full, which was not bad. Based on previous reactions, the number of viewers was likely to increase—a good sign.

"See, I told you, no need to worry." Adrian whispered with a smile in Kate's ear.

Kate rolled her eyes at him without saying a word, as he had been keeping his hand on her thigh the whole time during the screening.

Adrian shrugged and turned to the other side to say a few words to others, only to find Dennis bent over with his head in his hands, rubbing it back and forth.

"What's wrong, Dan?" Adrian asked.

"Oh, no, nothing, just... a little emotional…" Dennis quickly sat up, gesturing, though he turned his head, and Adrian still saw his slightly reddened eyes.

Stunned for two seconds, Adrian then felt at ease. Although Dennis never spoke about that period after arriving in Hollywood, thinking back to his downcast appearance at the café, it was easy to guess. Now that he finally had a major role in a movie—even if it wasn't the main role and even if the movie had a small budget—hearing the audience's praise must have stirred up a variety of emotions in him.

"Ed," Dennis finally composed himself, looking at Adrian, "thank you."

Adrian raised his eyebrows silently.

"No matter what happens in the future, thank you very much." Dennis said again, looking at him with unusually serious eyes.

Adrian nodded slightly in his mind. "Let's go have a cup of coffee, Dan."

There were many open-air cafes on St. Maria Elizabeth Street, each one having its own charm, be it elegant, exotic, or historic, making every visitor eager to try them all one by one.

Because it was inconvenient for Kate, Adrian chose a nearby small and delicate cafe. One must admit, sipping a rich Italian-flavored cappuccino under the warm Mediterranean sun was quite delightful.

"To be honest, although I've seen it several times in the studio before, it felt completely different from today's viewing." Dennis remarked, taking a sip of the foam in his cup.

"It might be because there were others in the theater and the reviews were good." Kate suggested thoughtfully.

"And there's another reason. Since it's a movie, watching it on the big screen in the theater gives allure irrespective of the film's focus on effects. Different environments and mindsets naturally bring different feelings." Adrian casually stirred his coffee and explained.

After discussing a few topics related to "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," Adrian seemed to have made a decision.

"By the way, Dan, I'll soon start preparing a new movie. Would you like to play the lead role?" Adrian asked.

"A new movie?" Dennis looked surprised, evidently not expecting that before the first project even hit the screens, Adrian was about to prepare for the second.

"Yes, I've already finished the rough idea of the script. I just need to write it out." Adrian briefly explained. "The story is straightforward. I plan to play some tricks during editing."

"No problem." Dennis agreed without hesitation.

"So soon?" Adrian was surprised this time. "You should know that, according to the set plot, the protagonist looks extremely thin, weighing no more than 110 pounds."

"As long as you need it," Dennis spread his hands and shrugged, "I'll definitely make it happen."

"Wow, Ed, you've got a great helper." Kate, beside him, stick her tongue out a little exaggeratedly.

"Is that so?" Adrian smiled at her. "Then would you like to take a supporting role in it, Kate?"

"Is there one for me too?" Kate asked, surprised and curious.

"Certainly, but this time it will be shot in Los Angeles, around October or November." Adrian was very serious.

Kate was taken aback for a few minutes. She opened her mouth and straightened, as if about to say something, but suddenly her expression changed.

"What's wrong?" Adrian hurriedly supported her, whispered.

"Carelessly… bumped a bit hard… it hurts…" Kate answered awkwardly.

Although they spoke quietly, Dennis, seated directly in front of them, could still hear. During the last few days of post-production in London Kate often visited the studio, and given her sluggish movements, how could he not guess what had happened? He promptly cleared his throat and said, "By the way, Ed, I have some business to attend to, so I'll go ahead."

Simultaneously, under the table, Dennis gave Adrian a thumbs up.

Adrian smiled and didn't try to stop him. "Alright, let's have a proper discussion after the film festival."

Once Dennis had left, Adrian easily lifted Kate horizontal in his arms. "Alright, Miss Beckinsale, we've watched the movie, and now it's time to get some rest."

"Do you really have to carry me back like this?" Kate shyly glanced around at the traveling tourists looking at them.

"You have no choice, my dear." Adrian laughed and carried her back to the hotel, completely unconcerned by the curious gazes from those nearby. He had to admit, he was in great shape, carrying Kate through half a street back to their hotel room with barely a breath.

Putting Kate on the bed, Adrian went to the bathroom to run a hot bath, then peeled her off and dropped her into the tub. However, Kate wasn't one to be easily subdued. Taking advantage of Adrian's carelessness, she pulled him into the water too. At this point, Adrian simply removed his clothes and had a lovers' bath with Kate.

Of course, due to Kate's situation, they didn't engage in certain activities. After some playful splashing, Adrian hugged Kate warmly from behind as he leaned back against the tub, tenderly massaging her.

"Feel better now?" Adrian tilted his head to look at Kate. "I told you, you should have stayed at the hotel."

"Do you think saying this now makes any difference?" Kate pouted, though the flush on her face remained.

Adrian smiled without saying anything more, kissing the back of Kate's neck before asking her seriously, "Do you enjoy acting, Kate? Do you want to be an actress?"

Kate was stunned for a few seconds, then she nodded. "Quite, I have thought about it, especially since both my parents are actors."

"Come to Hollywood with me. I'll make you a top-tier actress." Adrian suddenly rose and held her in his arms.

"Go to Hollywood?" Kate was utterly startled. The romance with Adrian made her forget two facts: first, she was British and still in high school; second, Adrian was from the United States, with his career in Hollywood.

"Yes, to Hollywood." Adrian looked at her seriously.

Kate didn't say a word, only held him tighter.

"Don't rush, we have time to think this over." Adrian said, kissing Kate's lips, then they were lost in another wave of heated passion.

With the showing of "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," a bit of a buzz spread at the Venice Film Festival. The audience comprised visitors who came owing to its reputation, as well as international film critics and entertainment journalists. This film, seemingly chaotic but actually orderly in its narrative structure, easily captivated them. With its multi-line storytelling style, such a film was not very common in the 1990s and before.