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Snatch

Starring: Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, Jason Statham
Director: Guy Ritchie
Genre: Drama
Year: 2000
Rating: 3 / 5

Quentin Tarantino was already a cult hero when he directed Pulp Fiction in 1994, but that did not stop the media from proclaiming him the freshest young director in Hollywood. Subsequent efforts, like Four Rooms and Jackie Brown, failed to live up to the initial promise, and fans have been looking for a successor ever since. In 1998, Guy Ritchie made his bid for the part with Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels, a film similar in spirit but lacking the broad acceptance of Pulp Fiction. Not yet ready to relinquish his shot, Ritchie presents Snatch, and the comparisons can officially begin.

Turkish (Jason Statham) is a small-time boxing promoter whose life is about to get complicated. Mere days before one of his biggest fights, against top promoter Brick Top (Alan Ford), Turkish's fighter finds himself in the hospital, courtesy of a Mickey O'Neil (Brad Pitt) knockout punch. What to do? Turkish decides that his only chance is to convince Mickey to not only fight for him, but to take a dive in the fourth round. Mickey is not so obliging, leaving Turkish in Brick Top's debt and Mickey the target of the vengeful promoter's wrath.

Noted thief Franky Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro) is en route to London with a gigantic diamond when he learns of some illegal gambling taking place in the area. Gambling addict that he is, Franky proceeds to lose the diamond to, among others, shady fence Boris the Blade (Rade Serbedzija). This brings Franky's boss Avi (Dennis Farina) across the ocean to investigate. He promptly hires Bullet Tooth Tony (soccer star Vinnie Jones) to track down Franky and the diamond, no matter the cost. All these varying plot points eventually tie together, leading to some twists that would make Tarantino himself proud.

Snatch belongs to director Guy Ritchie, as his stamp is all over this convoluted crime caper. If one actor is worth noting, however, it is Brad Pitt, whose gypsy boxer steals all of his scenes, whether slugging it out in the ring or baffling bystanders with his thick Irish brogue. Ritchie takes violence to almost comic proportions, from Alan Ford's casual references about man-eating pigs to the off-handed way in which some characters meet their demise. If Ritchie were the first director to employ such techniques, I might be inclined to credit him with genius. As is, Ritchie is a very effective imitator, one whose talents almost rival an in-his-prime Tarantino. Snatch is a highly entertaining film, but original it is not.

Cast:

Certification: Rated R for violence and language.
Running Time: 104 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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