After crashing onto the scene with Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998 and just before the unfortunate production in 2002 of Swept Away that stars his then-wife, Madonna, writer-director Guy Ritchie scored a knockout with the British gangster film Snatch in 2000.
The English-born director has made a career out of collecting ensembles of misfits, eccentrics, screwballs, and downright unsavory characters and Snatch is no exception. In fact, it is probably the paragon of the Brit's signature casting and shooting style. Furthermore, the terrific ensemble cast in this film may be the most eclectic group of scoundrels he's ever woven a story around. It's a briskly paced ride edited in true Ritchie style with quick, crisp cuts and topsy-turvy shots that are prone to sudden spurts of speeding up and then slowing down. The unique cinematography captures ultra-talented actors, some of whom are completely outside their lanes while others give performances in line with what you've grown accustomed to. When you've got a cast of gritty thriller stalwarts like Jason Statham, Brad Pitt playing (an Irish Pikey traveler), Benicio del Toro in the role of a Hasidic Orthodox Jew, and an assortment of other performers at the top of their game, sometimes Ritchie is smart enough to just get out of the way and let the car drive itself.
One Film, Two Storylines
Snatch is essentially two different stories that want to intersect and ultimately do. Jason Statham anchors and narrates the interwoven tales of a quest for an 84-carat diamond and the arrangement of an extremely unsanctioned illegal bare-knuckled boxing match. Ritchie deftly bobs and weaves between the two storylines with a firm hand giving each equal time to prove its mettle and merit. Both are set in some of the more hardscrabble neighborhoods of London, and Ritchie uses a steely blue lens filter that only adds to the grittiness of both. Statham lends a hard Cockney accent to the film just to make sure that the audience is clear on whom the main players are and why they are so heavily invested in tracking down an enormous diamond and putting big money on the right fighter in a rigged boxing match. The end result is unquestionably Ritchie's best film of his still-evolving 25-year career.
A Very Big Diamond
The swift pacing of the film is established immediately as Ritchie puts the pedal to the metal with a violent heist in the first five minutes. Del Toro as an Orthodox Jew isn’t necessarily out of central casting, but his portrayal of Franky ‘Four Fingers” gets things started on the right foot. The heist of the 84-carat diamond has many of the elements that Ritchie is now very well known for, but in just his second directorial effort, it’s still in its infancy and brilliant to watch. Matrix-like 360-degree freeze rotation shots with constant tempo fluctuation is what we expect from his films now, and to see it in its early stages of development is a treat. Once the diamond gets from Antwerp to London is when things get sticky for Franky. You may have forgotten that The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead star, Lennie James heads up a crew of bumbling jewel thieves that end up in possession of the diamond only to be sought out by Franky’s fencer Avi (Dennis Farina). Ritchie is able to build in some funny moments and lighthearted dialogue between James’ character Sol and Avi without letting his foot off the gas.
Brick Top and Getting Fed to the Pigs
Half of the story revolves around a ruthless gangster who goes by the name of "Brick Top" Pulford played by veteran British actor Alan Ford. Brick Top is a merciless miscreant who takes no prisoners when it comes to gambling and throwing his weight around over his betting books of competitions that he already knows the outcomes of. Ford has never been better as the brutal London gangster. So when he tasks boxing promoter Turkish (Statham) with providing a fighter for him to take a dive in an upcoming bare-knuckled boxing match, he better deliver exactly that, or he will find himself getting fed to the pigs. It's Brick Top's preferred modus operandi for disposing of those who go against his wishes. So Turkish and his sidekick Tommy (Stephen Graham) set out to find a man who is good enough with his fists to make it through three rounds and then take a knockout in the fourth. When they come across a young Irish Pikey gypsy named Mickey O’Neil (Pitt) they (and Brick Top) believe they've found their man. The thing you have to remember about Pitt and his role as Mickey is that it’s almost flawless. But it’s not quite that simple with the actor who has largely cruised through movies up until this point on his looks and not so much his acting skills. The reason Pitt ended up being a Pikey gypsy that speaks gibberish is because he couldn’t command a believable British accent. Ritchie had no doubt seen the actor in Fight Club several years prior and knew he could bring the physicality to the role but had no idea he would have to rewrite the part to suit Pitt’s limited vocal skills. The film benefits enormously from this bit of serendipity as Pitt clobbers a homerun in the part.
An Epic Dovetail Conclusion
Throughout the film, there are hints that these two storylines are starting to dovetail into a merged final chapter. It comes in the form of a bare-knuckle fight in which Mickey is supposed to take a dive so Turkish and Tommy can accommodate Brick Top, who has rigged the fight and stands to make a tidy sum if Mickey goes down in the fourth round. Snatch is book-cased by two pivotal scenes that highlight Ritchie’s inimitable cinematographic techniques. Like the opening heist scene, the fight is shot magnificently with stunning slow motion through contact sequences that capture the full impact of the bloody blow-for-blow bout. The tension is at a titillating apex as the lives of Mickey, Turkish, and Tommy all ride on following Brick Top’s instructions to throw the fight. At the same time, Sol and his crew are getting collared for their roles in a bank robbery earlier in the film. A dog that belongs to Sol scampers into the arms of Tommy and the two exchange a brief look as he and Turkish speed on by them as they’re being cuffed. Two epic tales that travel parallel for most of the film only to merge seamlessly at its conclusion.
The Final Word on 'Snatch'
Snatch is a rollicking good time that is never meant to be taken too seriously and is very aware of what it wants to be. It’s a well-shot, well-directed and well-acted piece that showcases the considerable talents of Alan Ford as Brick Top and benefits from accentuating Pitt’s weighty presence. A niftier resolution to the fate of the diamond would have lifted the film to even more rarified air as a gangster film, and Ritchie is rightfully penalized for that. Still, the movie works in just about every aspect that it sets out to, keeps the viewer engaged, and has a thrilling ending. If Ritchie’s new project, Operation Fortune, delivers close to the way Snatch does, we’ll be talking about the 54-year-old filmmaker’s resurgence moving forward.
Rating: A