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Snatch
follows multiple stories of multiple unsavory
characters. As is usually the case, all these unsavory
characters’ paths end up crossing and that is when
things get even more interesting then before. The movie
starts on the heist of an 84 Carat diamond in Antwerp.
The robbers bring the diamond to England to try and make
some money. Little did they know that many people will
try to make some money off of that very same diamond.
Separately, we meet a group involved in underground
boxing. This is the main group we follow, composed of
Turkish, Tommy, and fighter Gorgeous George. When
Turkish sends Tommy and Gorgeous George to buy a new
caravan from a group of nomads, Gorgeous gets hurt by
Mickey O’Neil. As Turkish is under pressure to find a
new fighter for the next event by Brick Top, he makes a
contract with Mickey for him to fight in Gorgeous
George’s place. Brick Top wanting to make some serious
money wants Turkish to rig the fight in his favor. When
the fight does not turn out as planned, Turkish and
Tommy find themselves in the bad situation of owing
Brick Top. During that time, a group of tugs introduces
earlier is looking for money, thus they decide to hold
up a booking agency, or bookie, and find themselves
owing Brick Top in a different way. While all of this
is going on, the diamond is changing hands in multiple
ways. Now, you may think this story is convoluted and
it is, but in a good way. I have skipped some story
details on purpose as this movie needs to be seen and
paid attention to to have its story understood.
| What keeps
the story from becoming a ridiculous mess of
characters and storylines is the writing and
directing by Guy Ritchie. In the case of
Snatch, I do not believe the story could
have been directed successfully by anyone
but its own writer. Guy Ritchie rose to
fame with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking
Barrels and solidified his right to the
spotlight with Snatch and more recently with
Sherlock Holmes. The story here is written
and directed in a manner where each event
unfolding plays an important part in the
whole. No character is introduced uselessly
or too hastily. Each important character,
such as Franky Four Fingers, Turkish, Mickey
O’Neil, and the rest get enough back-story
and exposure to be cared for, or hated, by
the viewers. Those back-stories are shown
in quick-cut flashbacks that add to the
relentlessness of the story. Some
characters getting such a back-story may
seem not as important as the others, but do
not get fooled, every character is important
in Guy Ritchie movies. |
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The way
the story is shot and edited is very important here.
The cinematography by Tim Maurice-ones (Lock, Stock and
Two Smoking Barrels, Revolver, Filth and Wisdom)
showcases not just the story but also the areas of
England where the movie was shot, making them look
grimier or dirtier when the story needs it and making
some locations look absolutely peaceful when they might
not actually be, either in real life or in the story.
The editing by Jon Harris (Layer Cake, The Descent,
Kick-Ass) supports the pace of the story going from
long-ish shots when characters are having calm
conversations to quick cuts when we see the back-story
to each character or when their storylines become more
frantic. These two aspects of the movie are not to be
overlooked as they bring a heightened sense of urgency
as the storylines get closer and closer to their
respective endings.
Supporting, or maybe supported by, all of the above is
the acting. Considering some of the actors started our
as sports stars or thugs, the performances Ritchie gets
out of them are worthy of any other great actor, which
is not an easy feat. A lead character is hard to
pinpoint in Snatch as there are so many storylines, thus
I would say there are more than one. In one of the
leads is Jason Statham (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking
Barrels, The Transporter, The Expendables) as Turkish.
Statham started his career after going from Olympic
athlete to thug and was then discovered by Guy Ritchie
who hired him for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Here he gets one of the meatier parts, his performance
proving him to be a very good actor and solidifying his
career at the time, leading to even bigger movies.
| As his
sidekick Tommy is Stephen Graham (Public
Enemies, Gangs of New York, Pirates of the
Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) who supports
Statham perfectly and may even outshine him
on an occasion or two. A surprising presence
in the cast, rounding out the trio for the
Turkish storyline, is Brad Pitt (Thelma and
Louise, Fight Club, Megamind) as Mickey
O’Neil, or Mickey the Pikey, who does what
he does best and literally becomes his
character. If you are not a fan of his,
this movie should bring you to the ranks of
his fans. Another surprising presence is
Benicio Del Toro’s (The Usual Suspects, Che,
The Wolfman), as Franky Four Fingers. His
short but memorable performance shows a more
“fun” side of his career and is worth a
watch on its own. Listing all the fantastic
performances in this movie and why they are
so great would take much more space then I
have here, so let’s just say that everyone
from Alan Ford as Brick Top to Vinnie Jones
as Bullet Tooth Tony to Ade as Tyrone does a
great job and that some surprising cast
members pop up randomly all along this
movie. |
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So why
is Snatch a must-see? Snatch is a fun, thrilling movie
that has stories to keep your mind thinking about it for
days. More than one viewing is necessary to “get”
everything in the multiple storylines and to catch every
detail of the story and connections between the
characters. Another reason to watch Snatch is to see
what I consider the quintessential Guy Ritchie movie.
If you are not a fan of his, this should make you one.
If it does not make you a fan or at least respect his
work, his other movies might not be for you.
On a
side and final note, if you can get your hands on the
DVD edition of Snatch with Pikey subtitles, go for that
version. The subtitles, that apply to what Brad Pitt’s
character Mickey is saying only, bring an extra layer to
the story and even have a small extra “joke” in them.
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