In 1995, he directed a short film, The Hard Case, followed by the crime comedy Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), his feature-length directorial debut.

He subsequently reteamed with Jason Statham on the action films Wrath of Man (2021) and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023).

After all, this is a movie that brought the world 'The Stath', Vinnie Jones hammering someone's skull with a car door, and the knowledge that a big purple dildo can be used as an offensive weapon.

It was released in the United Kingdom on 28 August 1998 to critical and commercial success, with Janet Maslin of The New York Times praising Ritchie's "brash, ebullient direction" and "punchy little flourishes that load this English gangster film".

Starring an ensemble cast including Benicio del Toro, Dennis Farina, Flemyng, Jones, Brad Pitt, Rade Šerbedžija and Statham.

[23][24] Almar Haflidason of the BBC was critical of the lead actors, writing, "[Madonna] has neither good comedic sense nor any warmth [...] as for Giannini, he spends the first half of the movie endlessly complaining like some old fishwife".

[28] Ritchie's next heist film Revolver (2005) starred Statham, Ray Liotta, Vincent Pastore, and André Benjamin.

[30] Adrian Hennigan from the BBC wrote, "the cheeky charm has been replaced by plodding pretentiousness in a film that's illuminated by great action set-pieces and some powerful performances, but not redeemed".

[35] Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 60% rating, stating, "Mixed reviews for Guy Ritchie's return to his London-based cockney wideboy gangster movie roots, but most agree, it's a step in the right direction following two major turkeys".

The commercial includes appearances from Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fàbregas, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney, and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

[42] A. O. Scott of The New York Times praised Ritchie for "taking liberties" with the characters, and wrote that both films depict "a smoky, overcast Victorian world, infuses it with an air of jocular, hairy laddishness and stages a lot of fights in fussy and tiresome slow motion".

Despite high expectations from the studio, it received mixed reviews and was a box-office failure, causing large financial losses for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures, and leading to the cancellation of the subsequent sequels.

[59] The plot follows Aladdin, a street urchin, as he falls in love with Princess Jasmine, befriends a Genie, and battles the wicked Jafar.

[61] Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, praising Will Smith, Naomi Scott, and Mena Massoud's performances.

[69][70] Ritchie next directed the action thriller Wrath of Man, a remake of the 2004 film Cash Truck, reuniting with Statham.

[74] Ritchie followed up Wrath of Man with the spy thriller Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, again starring Statham.

[77][78] Ritchie next filmed the war drama The Covenant, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Antony Starr and Emily Beecham, in February 2022 in Alicante, Spain.

[82] In February 2021, Ritchie agreed to direct and write the World War II film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, based on the book by Damien Lewis, for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Paramount Pictures.

[85] In May 2023, a few weeks after production wrapped on The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, it was announced Ritchie would next direct the film In the Grey (untitled at the time), starring Cavill, Gyllenhaal and González, set to shoot in Spain in the summer of 2023.

[86] The film concluded production in October 2023, with Lionsgate acquiring domestic distribution rights and Black Bear UK releasing in the United Kingdom.

[90][91] On 11 January 2024, it was announced Ritchie would direct the action adventure film Fountain of Youth, for Skydance Media and Apple Studios, with Natalie Portman, John Krasinski and Domhnall Gleeson set to star and production began in February 2024.

[104] Ritchie's films often incorporate memorable and "colourful" characters, for instance, Irish boxer Mickey O'Neil in Snatch, and crime boss "Hatchet" Harry in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.

He is also known to use interweaving stories and a non-linear narrative such as a circular plot in his films; this is found in the case of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Sherlock Holmes and Snatch.

[110]Ritchie has worked multiple times with Vinnie Jones, Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, Alan Ford, Geoff Bell, Mark Strong, Jude Law, Eddie Marsan, Jared Harris, Charlie Hunnam, Josh Hartnett, Hugh Grant, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González, Henry Golding, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone and Henry Cavill.

[113] On 18 May 2000, Ritchie was arrested by police for allegedly assaulting a man outside the Kensington home that he shared with American singer-songwriter Madonna.

[117] On 15 December 2008, Madonna announced that she had agreed to a divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which granted him £50–60 million, which includes the value of the couple's London pub and Wiltshire estate.

[118] At the Central Family Court in Holborn, district judge Caroline Reid pronounced the decree nisi, which dissolved the marriage within six weeks.

In July 2020, Ritchie received a six-month driving ban after he was caught by CyclingMikey using a mobile device while operating a motor vehicle.

[126]Ritchie owns a pub, The Lore of the Land, in London, and previously co-owned another, The Walmer Castle with David Beckham until 2022 when it was taken over by Piers Adams, a French entrepreneur.

[129] He also owns The Wild Kitchen, a firm producing outdoor cooking equipment and tents, which launched at Chelsea Flower Show in 2021.