Snatch

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, Rade Sherbedgia, Jason Stratham, Alan Ford, Stephen Graham
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama, Crime
2001

Times Seen:
Tim: 5

Summary: The story begins when jewel thief Franky Four Fingers (Benicio Del Torro) arrives in London after stealing a big-ass diamond. Upon his arrival, a number of events begin to unravel, pulling a number of people into the plot, from a boxing promoter and his partner (Jason Statham and Stephen Graham), a ruthless gangster (Alan Ford), and a nearly incomprehensible gypsy boxer (Brad Pitt), among many others.

Review:

Tim: I had no idea what to think of when I picked up this film. I had heard somewhere that the film was good, but whether it was a reliable source or not, I had no idea. I myself never was very interested in it, thinking it looked silly and tedious. Boy, was I dead wrong.

This film is magnificent. The first time I watched it, I popped it in the VCR midafternoon, and watched it while doing a number of other things. By the end, I was completely confused, and had no idea what was going on- yet I had the strange impression that I was watching something incredible. Later that night, I watched the film again- this time with my undivided attention. I was stunned, amazed, and excited about how great this film is.

The best feature of this film is the dialogue. Guy Ritchie wrote and directed this film, and he did a tremendous job. The dialogue is unlike any film I've ever seen. It is crisp, vivid, hilarious, and draws you into the film. I had many of the lines running through my head hours and hours after watching the film. I was unable to hold back smiles as I thought of the funnier parts of this movie.

To deliver the dialogue, Ritchie recruited a beautiful cast. Benicio Del Toro is great as Franky Four Fingers, but he's nothing compared to the rest of the cast. I don't think I've ever heard of Jason Statham before this film, but he was so good as a calm but unlucky boxing promoter. He brought seriousness to the film, but had a number of witty lines as well. Alan Ford played the perfect bad guy in all the typical wretchedness you need to see in a villain. I think he should have gotten an Oscar nomination for his performance (I don't think he should have won, but definitely should have been nominated). You just absolutely hate this guy, and that is completely due to Ford (with a little help from the writing, of course).

The three actors who were most brilliant were Dennis Farrina, Vinnie Jones, and Brad Pitt. I have always liked Dennis Farrina, but you never get to see much of him in films. Oftentimes, he plays smaller roles where he doesn't really get the chance to show off his talent. Here, he is absolutely hilarious, as a greedy boss, but you find yourself rooting for him because he is so charismatic and so funny. Vinnie Jones is spectacular. He did a good job in Gone in 60 Seconds, but only got one line in the whole film. Here, his dialogue flows, oftentimes featuring one-liners that had me rolling with laughter. It was a difficult decision, but I think he is my favorite character in the whole film. He was tough, smart, and funny as hell. You have to see Jones in the film.

And, then we get to Brad Pitt. I've never been a big fan of Mr. Pitt, but I must say, I was blown away by him in this film. He plays a fast-talking gypsy boxer who is nearly incomprehensible (some kind of weird gypsy dialect or something). He is very non-Brad Pitt as a gruff, tough, and downright hysterical gypsy. He steals every single scene he is in, and adds such a flavor to this film that I doubt any other actor could. Don't get me wrong, I still am not a fan and dislike the majority of his work- however, here, he is simply brilliant. I love the, "Do ya like dags?" line.

I recommend going to see this movie as soon as humanely possible. It is a pleasant and refreshing change from the typical Hollywood movie. Premiere Magazine called it, "The coolest movie of the year." I am insanely jealous that they nailed it right on the head. This isn't the best movie of the year, the funniest, the most entertaining- but it is most definitely the coolest- and perhaps one of the coolest movies I have ever seen in my life.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Fight Club, Traffic, Gone in 60 Seconds