Plot: What’s it about?
Franky Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro) has stolen a massive diamond, which has many people interested in his person, even some that don’t know why. He arrives in London and after phoning Cousin Avi (Dennis Farina), he meets with Doug the Head (Mike Reid) and tries to appraise the stone, but before he can do anything he has a bet to place. Franky has a problem with gambling of course, but this wager is on behalf of Boris the Blade (Rade Sherbedgia), who is simply using the chance to steal the diamond, but Franky has no idea. You see, Boris has hired three small time thugs to knock over the bookie’s place and rake in Franky’s briefcase, but as usual, things don’t go as expected for the three criminals. At the same time, Turkish (Jason Statham) and his partner Tommy (Stephen Graham) are trying to fix a most serious situation, which leaves with a Pikey boxer Mickey (Brad Pitt) as their fighter and if the match is flawed, Brick Top (Alan Ford) will have them skinned and fed to the pigs. As time passes, these stories and more begin to intertwine at times and of course, the end result is downright outrageous.
If you’re a fan of crime movies with dark humor involved, then Snatch is a flick you can’t afford to miss, as it flat out rocks. I wouldn’t call it a great film in the usual sense, but it is a blast to watch and has some superb performances. I am partial to Alan Ford’s turn as Brick Top, but other good performances come from Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Mike Reid, and Rade Sherbedgia, among countless others. I love the character work in this flick and of course, writer/director Guy Ritchie deserves much praise, to be sure. It might have a lot in common with his previous project, but Snatch seems quite original and in the end, I think it takes another step beyond and that’s always welcome. This is a well written, well performed, and well photographed picture, a terrific creation in all respects. I think some scenes work better than others of course, but I found Snatch to be a riotous good time and if possible, you should watch it with friends, that’s when it really kicks in. This Superbit Deluxe edition looks & sounds awesome, but you’ll miss out on some extras, so decide which is more important in your case.
In his second run out of the feature film gate, Guy Ritchie seems to hit another home run, as Snatch is a terrific flick in all respects. Yes, this movie is not a distant reminder of his previous effort, but Snatch offers enough unique content to accuse Ritchie of going to well once too often, at least I think so. I suppose you could discuss theme, character, and even some scenes that look right out of his prior picture, but I think this is far from an uncreative production, to be sure. I would like to see what he can do in other genres and perhaps even with a different tone involved, but even as it stands, Ritchie is a solid director and has some real potential within himself. Of course, his other film to date is Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, another cool movie with similar tones. The cast here includes Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, Fearless), Vinnie Jones (Gone in Sixty Seconds, Swordfish), Brad Pitt (Seven, The Mexican), Alan Ford (Chaplin, An American Werewolf in London), Dennis Farina (Manhunter, Eddie), and Rade Sherbedgia (Eyes Wide Shut, Mission: Impossible 2).
Video: How does it look?
Snatch is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This movie has a dank, very dark stylized appearance, so colors and contrast are often skewed, but this presentation holds it all together with no problems. Yes, the colors are supposed to look washed out and muted at times, while contrast sometimes comes off as softer than normal, but trust me, its all part of the grand visual scheme here. A few print nicks are visible, but nothing serious and I found no compression flaws, which is good news. As usual, the Superbit treatment has enhanced detail a little and small touches now seem more visible, though the original was excellent, so this new version offers small, but noticeable improvements.
Audio: How does it sound?
The same superb Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack from the previous edition is retained, but of course, a new DTS option is also included here. As is often the case, the DTS version proved to be a little better, but in this case, the differences were minimal. A few scenes came across as more refined, with small touches more crisp, but not enough to claim the DTS as a vastly superior mix, not by any means. Both soundtracks are top notch and provide ample audio dynamite, so whichever you decide on, you’ll be pleased with the results. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As this is a Superbit Deluxe release, the audio commentary track and “Stealing Stones” feature have been removed, but a second disc offers some supplements, so not all is lost in terms of bonus material. All of the extras are found on the second disc, including the Making of Snatch behind the scenes featurette. This piece runs about twenty-five minutes and has some good moments, although it is a promotional tool, to be sure. Even so, it made for an interesting watch and the included interviews were worth a look, if you ask me. You can also check out some deleted scenes and if you so desire, you can enable audio commentary on these also, in which you’ll learn more about why they were removed from the flick’s final version. I was pleased to find storyboard comparisons for three scenes, as I always find those to be of interest. It’s a shame only three sequences were covered, but they choose three good ones, so I won’t complain much. This disc also contains some talent files, a video montage of still photos, three television spots, and two of the film’s theatrical trailers.
