Snatch [Blu-ray]
When jewel thief, Franky Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro), takes a slight detour to London on route to delivering a huge stolen diamond to his boss in New York, he unwittingly sets off an avalanche of sinister and comic events that wind their way through the rough and tumble worlds of bare-knuckle boxing, Irish gypsies, pawn shops, pig farming and… a stray dog. Snatch, Guy Ritchie’s brilliant follow up to his critically acclaimed Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, exposes us to his hip and helter-skelter view of London’s gangster underbelly. Ritchie’s characteristic fast-paced and constantly twisting story features a madcap ensemble cast of larger-than-life characters, including Jason Statham, an unlicensed boxing promoter; Stephen Graham, his bumbling Sidekick; Alan Ford, the local underworld kingpin; Dennis Farina, Franky’s no-nonsense boss; Vinnie Jones, a legendary thug; Rade Sherbedgia, a psycho double-crossing Russian; and Brad Pitt, in a hilarious turn as a fast-talking gypsy bare-knuckle boxer.Usually it might seem a tad unfair to begin a review by referring to the director’s missis. But then the missis in question wouldn’t usually be Madonna–a woman whose ability to reinvent herself several times before breakfast seems in marked contrast to that of hubby Guy Ritchie. Certainly, this follow-up to the filmmaker’s breakthrough film–the high-energy, expletive-strewn cockney-gangster movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels–hardly breaks new ground being, well, another high-energy, expletive-strewn cockney-gangster movie. OK, so there are some differences. This time around our low-rent hoodlums are battling over dodgy fights and stolen diamonds rather than dodgy card games and stolen drugs. There has been some minor reshuffling of the cast too, with Sting and Dexter Fletcher making way for the more bankable Benicio Del Toro and Brad Pitt, the latter pretty much stealing the whole shebang as an incomprehensible Irish gypsy. And, sure, people who really, really liked Lock, Stock–or have the memory of a goldfish–will really, really like this. The suspicion lingers, however, that if the director doesn’t do something very different next time around then his career may prove to be considerably shorter than that of his missis. –Clark Collis
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars movies
View one of Brad Pitt’s best performances.
Guy Ritchie teams with Brad Pitt and Jason Statham
for a thoroughly entertaining film. It has all the
elements of a very fun film.
5 Stars Funny movie
Loved the movie. Brad Pitt in a type of film I never dreamed he played in. Improbable and funny.
1 Stars unpleasant
I tried, really. But, I could not find a single even which would want to make me watch this again. I admit that I am not a trained critic but for this film, training is absolutely not required.
5 Stars Well worth the time and the money
All I can say about this movie is that the more I view it, the more I enjoy it! Big hint: turn on captions. Otherwise you will likely not understand a lot of the dialog (unless your a pikey!) This is one of those movies were I can’t figure out which character is my favorite (although it might be Brick Top). Rent it, buy it - just enjoy it!
5 Stars “…Open Him Up! He Ain’t A Tin Of Baked Beans You Know!”
*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE “BLU RAY” VERSION ***
Watching “Snatch” again - but this time on BLU RAY - I’m left reeling - I really am. It’s clever, it’s ballsy and it’s just so ludicrously entertaining. But most of all - it’s easily the funniest film I’ve seen in years. I mean when you’re not laughing out loud (for all the wrong reasons of course), you’re sat there giggling like a fool most of the time.
Writing wise too - “Snatch” is kicking like a mule, it’s confident and beautifully constructed. It feels like a sort of updated modern-day Ealing Comedy - so good and so irresistibly English. I’m reminded a lot of the 1969 original of “The Italian Job” - another gem on BLU RAY (see review) that works its way into your heart and stays there. This is seriously impressive stuff - and especially as it was only Guy Ritchie’s second movie.
But the really great news for fans and newcomers alike is the PRINT; it’s RESTORED - and for about 95% of the time it looks immaculate in every frame. Very occasionally there’s some blurring, maybe a few lines, but that’s just the rough and tumble way it was filmed I suspect - and those shots as I say are very, very few indeed. Most of the time, it’s looks fantastic and the clean up also seems to have brought the film so much more to life…it’s a real pleasure to watch.
The extras are there too, which is great - and it’s very reasonably priced.
You also forget about the sheer size and quality of the cast - Benicio Del Toro as the mumbling gambler Frankie Four-Fingers - Alan Ford as the fantastically crass and violent Brick Top - Rade Shelbedgia as the unkillable Russian Boris The Blade - Vinnie Jones as the man hunter Bullet-Tooth Tony - Dennis Farina as the Jewish American Diamond broker Avi, Mike Reid as his English equivalent Doug The Head - the gormless trio of Post Office robbers, Lennie James, Robbie Gee and Ade - Stephen Graham as the hapless sidekick Tommy who thinks too much about dairy products and what they do to the digestive system - and of course, the movie’s trump cards - the pairing of Jason Stratham as Turkish and Brad Pitt as Mickey the bare-knuckle Irish boxing champion. Great stuff. Throw in hip music, choppy editing, apt locations and a dictionary of slang to work out what everyone is saying - and it’s as chipper as a bulldog who’s just swallowed a squeaky toy…
Having recently seen “Sherlock Holmes” at the cinema (and been seriously impressed too), I can feel the need for a Guy Ritchie spending purge coming on…
“Snatch” on BLU RAY is brilliant fun - a winner to look at - and reasonably priced too.
Way to go guys. Recommended - big time.
PS: see also my review for “Rock n Rolla” on BLU RAY…
Filed under: Blu Ray Movie Reviews