Certification. 18
Running Time. 1 hour 44 mins
Director. Guy Ritchie
Cast. Ewen Bremner, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Alan Ford, Stephen Graham, Lennie James, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, Rade Serbedzija, Jason Statham.
Rating. 66%
Guy Ritchie's follow-up to the wonderful Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels was Snatch. Arrogant and audacious, these relatively low-budget films were fresh. And whilst the tone, style and narrative of both films are very similar, Snatch is more assured. The black humour in particular, in Snatch, is more confident.
Snatch introduces the audience to an array of petty criminals with violent attitudes. In his opening two films, Guy Ritchie developed a reputation for unearthing actors (often unknown, or playing against type) capable of embodying colourful characters from the London underworld.
The story centres on two illegal fight promoters - Tommy (Steven Graham) and Turkish (Jason Statham). Jason Statham's straight-faced demeanour and delivery as narrator is spot on and Steven Graham revels in lines like, "You want to see if I've got the minerals?" Guy Ritchie stalwart Alan Ford is excellent as the psychopathic promoter, Brick Top. But this is Brad Pitt's film. Delightfully cast as the incoherent, Irish Romany, bare-knuckle boxer, Mickey.
The non-linear narrative and interweaving storylines give Snatch speed. Ritchie retains an energetic style of direction with trademark split-screen visuals and slow-motion speed ramps.
Snatch, and Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, were the films that enabled Guy Ritchie to create an identity. Ritchie directed cool, Cockney, crime capers. If Snatch was the defining moment of Guy Ritchie's career, then its legacy and the desperate need to re-imagine the film every couple of years - with the likes of RocknRolla and The Gentlemen - threatens to overshadow other more interesting projects.
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