Snatch Review

          In the year 2000 British crime flick Snatch, written and directed by Guy Ritchie, we get to follow the path of a recently stolen and quite sizable diamond as it makes it's way through the world of Britain's organized crime underworld. The film focuses on underground boxing promoters Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tommy (Stephen Graham) and the ever-expanding ensemble of thugs, cockney gangsters and even gypsies that they find themselves intertwined with as the story progresses. It is in this vast array of characters that the film finds it's greatest strengths. From Brad Pitt's portrayal of the gypsy bare knuckle boxer Mickey, to Alan Ford's icy persona as crime kingpin Brick Top, this film features a variety of truly wonderfully written and acted characters.

Turkish, Mickey, and Tommy

          With such a large cast of characters to follow, this film does require you to actually pay some attention if you want to fully comprehend the multiple story threads as they slowly converge. Luckily Ritchie has written such engrossing and often hilarious characters for this film that it doesn't have to struggle to get your attention. Still, it may take a second viewing for some to grasp all of the intricacies of Ritchie's sometimes overly complicated plot, and the thick cockney accents won't do you any favors either. In fact, Brad Pitt's character Mickey speaks in such a ridiculously thick cockney/gypsy dialect that even the other characters in the film can't understand him 90% of the time (I finally got most of his lines somewhere around my 5th viewing) and as annoying as this may sound, it only served to further endear me to the character, Ritchie's writing is just that good.

Alan Ford as the ruthless Brick Top

         If you are a fan of crime dramas and/or deadpan humor I recommend that you give this movie a chance. You would be hard pressed to find a better ensemble of characters anywhere in this genre of films, think Ocean's Eleven but funnier, more gritty and generally much more well written and acted. The way that Ritchie sets all of these interesting characters, all with their own motivations and stories on a collision course that plays out over the course of the film is really a testament to his skill as a writer and film maker. Snatch oozes cool from every pore and is truly not to be missed for fans of film. It laces a potent crime story with humor and brilliantly constructed dialog and still to this day stands out a Guy Ritchie's finest work as far as I am concerned.