Two boxing promoters, two vicious gangsters, a pair of Jewish jewelers, and some incompetent thieves all try to find a priceless diamond.
COMEDY/CRIME
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Snatch (2000)Written and Directed by Guy Ritchie
Starring Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Brad Pitt, Alan Ford, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Lennie James, Benicio Del Toro, Robbie Gee, Rade Serbedzija |
After getting some pretty good success off his feature debut, Guy Ritchie would go on to make Snatch. A film which was so successful, it launched the writer/director into even higher standing in the industry, while becoming extremely well beloved and influential in its own right. Now, you would think he pulled this off by doing something completely different. But you would be wrong. Ritchie, in an admittedly genius move, stuck to what worked the first time: The London underground, colorful characters, humor used frequently, and non-traditional storytelling. Except this time with a more refined script accompanied by an international cast. Thus, instead of giving us a tired retread of his original film, we ended up with what many consider his finest picture to date.
The first, and main, point I want to talk about is the second collaboration Ritchie has here with actors Vinnie Jones and Jason Statham. A team up which once again proves fruitful. Jones is terrific at playing into his tough guy persona. Meanwhile, Statham continues to prove he’s more than just an action star with a role which requires much more dialogue than fisticuffs. That’s not to say the rest of the cast is lacking. Brad Pitt and Alan Ford, in particular, are outstanding in their respective characters. As for the visual style which was prevalent in Ritchie’s prior film, it’s all here. Except, much more refined and focused. From the comedy, characters, story, and editing, this is a much more fluid and engaging story which shows a maturation of the prior film’s style. Watching this, it’s incredibly easy to see why this has become a beloved film and Ritchie’s most iconic. He takes what made his debut work and refines it to near perfection here. The characters pop a bit more, the story moves at a brisker pace, and the comedy is even better. If you got some time in your otherwise busy life, can’t go wrong with a double feature of this and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. |
Snatch is a delightful, strange, and well-written crime comedy from the king of gangster-quirk, Guy Ritchie. It's funny to see how one diamond can cause so much trouble and threaten to tear apart the London criminal underground.
Jason Statham leads this all-star cast in one of his earliest starring roles. He and Stephen Graham have impeccable chemistry and their dialogue is hilarious. Then you have Brad Pitt playing an Irish gypsy in one of his strangest roles. He mumbles his way through his dialogue and makes "Mickey" one of the most memorable characters of the film. I love films with various stories that all intersect and Snatch pulls this off nicely. With psychotic villains like Brick Top and hilarious yet intimidating characters like Boris the Blade and Bullet-Tooth Tony, Snatch excels in keeping the audience entertained and providing an original and intriguing story. |