Snatch (2000) Review

 

Snatch (2000)

Snatch follows Turkish & Tommy, who go in debt to a hard-nosed bookie, relying on bare-knuckle boxer Mickey to pull through for them to throw a fight, all while multiple criminals converge in London to make a move on a stolen diamond. 

Building on everything that Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels did so well, Snatch goes and does it better, funnier, and faster. Back are the cleverly intertwined plotlines, the hilarious one-liners, and the intimidating and wildly comedic London villains that Guy Ritchie does so well. As I’ve stated in past Ritchie reviews, his style certainly isn’t for everyone, relying on quick, skillful editing, loads of crude, Brit humor, and a story that is often as unintelligible as Brad Pitt playing a Pikey, though you can almost always rely on there to be a bit of crime and a whole lot of violence sprinkled in. 

With the aforementioned story though, it’s as disjointed as it gets, following multiple interconnected stories and groups, who take center stage at random intervals in a quest to wind up with a stolen diamond. It’s the approach however that makes this a more unique 'gangster' flick, as it’s on the more realistic side. Sure, there’s a few outright badasses like Bullet Tooth, Brick Top, and Boris “The Blade”, but for the most part these low-rate criminals are just that—inexperienced, fairly boneheaded, and constantly shooting themselves in the foot, only adding to the constant humor that arises out of their mishaps and shortcomings. 

Featuring an outstanding cast, in Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Rade Šerbedžija, Robbie Gee, Lennie James, Stephen Graham, Alan Ford, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, and Jason Statham, it’s hard to single in on just a few standout performances, though Ford, in all of his bug-eyed, creepy as all hell glory, just has that train wreck quality of style that makes it impossible to keep your eyes off of, that when you factor in Jones, as menacingly cool as usual, and Pitt, who is downright unintelligible, yet utterly hilarious, leaves us having a dangerously good time. 

Snatch, directed by Guy Ritchie, is Ritchie operating at the top of his game—fast paced, quirky, and bloody and brutal as all get out, with a story and characters that are just as dark and wonderfully wicked to boot. 

9.2/10