Snatch

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2001 Howard Anderson

Story

A diamond heist gone helter-skelter, the rough and tumble world of bare knuckle boxing, a colorful Irish gypsy and...a dog. Writer-director Guy Ritchie's "Snatch" is a rollicking ride through London's gangster world, the bustling diamond district and a rowdy gypsy camp.

Double-crossing, double bluffing and double-dealing abound as various parties pursue personal agendas - all of them illegal, some of them farcical and most of them destined to end in blood, pain and retribution. As plans go haywire and tempers fray, dogs, diamonds, caravans, boxers and assorted weaponry get swept up into a chaotic free-for all...

Review

Stealin' stones and breakin' bones... There are some films where everything just comes together perfectly. They're rare. As rare as an 86 carat diamond, really. But now and again one does tend to pop up. After "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" Guy Ritchie was gonna have to pull off something very special to top that film, and what we got was "Snatch." And as far as I'm concerned "Snatch" is pure, undeluted perfection. It's one of those films that'll just stick with you. You'll be humming the music and repeating the lines, and you'll want to watch it over and over again immediately, from the opening credits to the end titles.

The story is brilliant in all its quirkiness, the characters are some of the most colorful I've seen on-screen in a long time, and there isn't an actor in this film that doesn't inhabit his part with total conviction. Jason Statham is Turkish, the smooth talking, street-wise boxing promoter, and also the narrator of the story. Here Statham is able to do a lot more with his character, and has a much stronger screen presence this time around than in "Lock, Stock..." Bullet-Tooth Tony is played by Vinnie Jones, and is basically a slightly different take on his Big Chris character. His introduction in this film is priceless, and once again he gets to show off his raw intensity with the same kick-ass coolness. Benicio Del Toro is delightful as Frankie Four-Fingers; Dennis Farina chews up the scenery in style as Cousin Avi, a part that is very reminiscent of Ray "Bones" Barboni from "Get Shorty"; Rade Serbedzija delivers a very humorous portrayal of Boris the Blade, surely one of the toughest Russians ever walk the earth; and Alan Ford's truly menacing performance as Brick Top is so effective that I was just grateful to not be in the same room as him. The bottom line is that there are just so many memorable characters in this film that it's impossible for me to list them all, but one that I especially took a notice of, is Brad Pitt's Mickey O'Neil, the Irish gypsy champion fist fighter and caravan dealer. There wasn't a single time when he opened his mouth that I wasn't left in stitches, as that accent of his is just beyond description... and understanding. But when he got into the ring, especially during the big fight, there was an added edge to him that was pure adrenalin-pumping pugilism.

Guy Ritchie's direction is impeccable, and the intensity and drive injected into this film is unlike anything I've seen before. The visuals, the music, the story, the characters... He's managed to make it all come together in perfect supercharged harmony. It's brutal and violent, funny and delightful, exciting and suspenseful, and I loved every freakin' second of it. The way the visuals play off the music throughout the film is such a kick in the balls, sweet-ass blast that it has to be seen and heard to be believed. I can not find any faults with this film, and if you can, then I dare you to speak up. Well...? Didn't think so.

Image

Columbia/TriStar is known for their flawless transfers, and this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image is no exception. The colors and shadow details are rock solid and without any chroma noise at all, and at no point during the film did I detect any hints of pixelation or edge enhancement. There was, however, some grain apparent now and again, and also some specks, but this is something that have probably carried over from the source negative, so it doesn't really deduct from my overall impression of the transfer.

Sound

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack perfectly embodies the intensity of the film. When the song "Supermoves" by Overseer starts playing during the opening diamond heist, you'll feel the bass pumping, and the same goes for the hare coarsing sequence, where Mirwai's "Disco Science" is played out for all it's worth. The surround use is constant in regards to both the score and the action sequences, with all 5.1 channels being utilized to the max. The soundtrack for this film is alive and kicking from the first moment to the last, and I was especially impressed with the mix during the fight sequences, most notably during the last punch-up, which is so awesome that I'd list it among the top ten fights to ever be captured on film.

Features

As far as the extra features are concerned, this DVD delivers everything you could possibly hope for and more. On Disc One you'll find an Audio Commentary with Director Guy Ritchie and Producer Matthew Vaughn. It's an interesting and amusing commentary track, and well worth the listen. Also on Disc One you'll find a something called the Stealing Stones Feature Option, which works the same way the X-Men symbol did on that DVD, where through the miracle of extended branching you can view deleted scenes inserted back into the film if you click Enter every time a symbol shaped like a diamond pops up.

On Disc Two there's a cool-as-hell "Making Of" Documentary; several Deleted Scenes that you can view with or without the Director's Commentary; some behind-the-scenes segments called B-Roll; Soundbites, which is basically a series of interviews with the people involved in the making of the film; a Storyboard Comparison with Multi-Angle Option; a Jump to a Song feature and a Photo Library. There is also a wide selection of TV Spots, the International Trailer and Teaser Trailer, Production Notes and Filmographies, and also some groovy hidden features. Oh, and I guess I should also mention the English and Hindu subtitles...

Overall Opinion

"Snatch" will not disappoint. The DVD is stunning in both its aural and visual presentation, and there's enough extra features here to make even the most demanding fella happy. And if you're a fan of movies like "Pulp Fiction", "The Big Lebowski" and, of course, "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", then you're in for the gangland ride of your life.