Snatch Review: A Violent Whirlwind

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Rolling along this Top 100 list, here we have #98. Snatch is a Guy Ritchie movie released in 2000 starring Jason Statham and Brad Pitt. The movie supposedly follows a group of men trying to track down a priceless diamond, but it turns into so much more than that.

Jason Statham brings this movie together, and unlike recent projects, he doesn’t just play himself. Snatch is a violent, interesting movie that moves very quickly. Miss one beat or one character and you might find yourself completely lost.

The plot jumps all over the place, moving characters through three main storylines that come crashing together near the end of the movie. The three storylines with different sets of characters allowed the movie to remain very interesting, without having a very long-drawn, in-depth story focusing on one set of characters. The audience got to see different aspects of London and explore each story fully.

My favourite of the three stories had to be the one focusing on Turkish, Jason Statham’s character, and Tommy, played by Stephen Graham. Turkish is an illegal boxing promoter who has found himself in a bit of a pickle with Brick Top, another fight promoter. Brick Top has a habit of feeding those who cross him to his pigs. To get out of this dilemma, Turkish convinces Mickey, played by Brad Pitt, to fight in his next boxing match and to take a dive. Mickey wins the fight with one punch and chaos ensues.

Although this seems like a super serious movie, there are plenty of comedic points. The camera angles used create goofy scenes when the atmosphere should have been deadly serious. It breaks the ice and allows for a fun watch filled with violence and suspense. This is not unlike Kubrick’s style, using odd camera angles to manipulate the tone, but Guy Ritchie uses a significantly different tone. The serious scenes in Snatch are in a different ballpark than the serious moments in A Clockwork Orange.

Not only was the camera work goofy, but the soundtrack also helped create a more comedic atmosphere. There were still serious moments, but the tension was lifted with humour quite often. I liked the different sound effects and music choices to lift the mood and add some unique elements to the movie. This isn’t your usual diamond heist or boxing movie, and I enjoyed that.

The other two storylines are equally goofy, with that same balance between deadly serious and hilarious. I enjoyed the large cast of characters across all three storylines. The acting was really good and the different personalities put an entertaining spin on a lot of the different scenes.

I loved the balance between the three storylines, how they seemed to co-exist and interact slightly, but they remained separate for most of the movie. It allowed for a lightning-fast pace, moving through events quickly without running out of steam or feeling like a drag. The way the movie comes together at the end was masterful, taking the three storylines and using what the audience already knew to braid them together into a coherent ending.

There is a lot of death and violence in this one, but it never feels over the top. It fits either the character or the scene, and Guy Ritchie uses this violence to tell you about his characters. Brick Top feeds people to pigs, probably not a great guy. Turkish hosts fights that aren’t rigged, probably a decent guy. Among a pretty complicated and fast plot, it’s nice to have simple characters to at least make one part of the movie easy to consume.

The fighting that occurs in the boxing ring is great, again using the camera angles and different cuts to create more out of the scene than just a simple boxing match. It was visually engaging, and while somewhat goofy, I found it fun.

The two biggest names in this movie today, Pitt and Statham, were both great. The personalities of both characters were well-written, and I enjoyed both performances. Turkish is an interesting character, and I thought Statham really brought the different emotions to life well. Pitt seems to emulate Mickey’s character, and I thought he fit the role perfectly. While his role isn’t as substantial as Turkish, there are still plenty of great moments and Mickey’s accent is fantastic. Pitt works his magic in this rough and tough role, not unlike his part in Bullet Train.

The only downside to Snatch is also one of my favourite parts. By moving so fast and having three storylines, there’s a lot going on and a lot of characters. Names, faces, and events all seemed to fly by and I had to rewind a couple of times to make sure I understood what had just happened. This isn’t always a bad thing, but Snatch is not a movie you just flip on, turn your brain off and enjoy.

Snatch is a really fun movie that packs a lot into the 1 hour and 44 minute run time. With some big names that perform well, enough events to keep the audience on the edge of their seat, and some goofy cinematography to release the built-up pressure, it’s pretty clear how Snatch ended up on the Top 100 list. This isn’t a movie for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. Moving on down the road, #97 – A Clockwork Orange.