Snatch Review
by Tim Wick
Guy Richie has directed two films. His first, Lock Stock and Two Smoking
Barrels, was one I didn't manage to get in to until I turned on the
subtitles. True, the movie is a British film, but the thick accents made
deciphering what the characters were saying a near impossibility. I spent a
half hour of the film straining my ears to understand what was going on and
then turned on the subtitles. That made all the difference in the world.
Unfortunately, when I watched Richie's newest offering - Snatch - I did
not
have the luxury of switching on subtitled. I won't deny I was a little bit
worried about how well I would be able to follow the movie. I was, after
all, in the middle of a movie marathon and in danger of falling asleep if
the
film didn't grab and hold me.
I should not have been so concerned.
Both of Richie's films are what I would call crime dromedies. They are
serious crime films with characters facing serious and nasty consequences
for
their actions, but within that framework the film is funny. I would
classify
his films with Pulp Fiction and would probably place Snatch on a similar
level with that great film.
I could spend about ten pages describing the complex plot and characters
that
make up this film, but that's not really what a review is for. Instead, let
me tell you what Richie does as a director/writer that really makes for
entertaining films.
First of all, Richie creates interesting characters and he creates a lot of
them. Snatch is an ensemble film with about ten strong leads, but we
manage to get into the heads of all of them at least a little bit. None of
them are perfect people. In fact, most of them are murderers and thieves.
Villains are inherently more interesting to an audience (or so I believe)
because you want to know what makes them tick. When everyone in the film is
(on some level) a villain, it is easy to become truly engaged.
Next, Richie has a very unique directing style that really manages to
accentuate the film. He uses quick flash back shots, out of sequence shots
and surreal "what is going on in the characters head" shots that really give
his films a manic edge to them. His films are kinetic and quick. You can't
take a trip to the rest room or you will miss something important.
Third, I love the way he ends his films. Can't say anything more than
that -
I just love it.
Finally, he writes really clever and fun scripts. I think he is in danger
of
pigeonholing himself into one kind of film but you can't argue against his
ability to script that kind of script. Remember the moment in Pulp
Fiction
where John Travolta shoots the kid in the back seat of the car? You laughed
at that, didn't you? Then you felt awful about finding something so
horrible
downright hysterical. Richie creates moments like that. It is hard to
prevent something like that from descending into camp, but he manages to
walk
that razor's edge quite well.
In a film of great performances, I have to at least mention the wonderful
work of Brad Pitt. Pitt has shown many times that he is much more than just
a pretty face but still doesn't seem to get the respect he deserves as an
actor. Him Mickey O'Neal is one of the most memorable characters in film
this year. I hope he gets some recognition for that.
This film is going to be an art house film, but could end up in the big
theatres because of the positive buzz it is already generating. Don't wait
for that to happen. Watch the papers and hit this one at the Lagoon. In a
film year like 2000, you have to make time for the true gems like this one.
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