Snatch (2000) Cert 18. Director - Guy Ritchie Writer - Guy Ritchie . Starring - Jason Statham, Dennis Farina, Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Vinnie Jones.

Premise - Two boxing promoters need to buy a caravan from some gypsies, little do they know it will be the start of a deadly mess involving diamonds, pigs, gangsters and a squeaky dog. Snatch is movie I was never in much of a hurry to see. I had seen Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels and was not very impressed. I just couldn't see what people were raving about. It was a fairly average tale, with average acting, filled with the kind of faces that you see everyday on British TV. Snatch is basically more of the same, but taken to a higher level with the inclusion of some quality acting talent form the other side of the Atlantic. Namely Farina, Del Toro and Pitt. Pitt is the stand out of the movie. His turn as an Irish gypsy is excellent. In-fact the majority of the films laughs come from Pitts incomprehensible ramblings that no one can understand. (perhaps poking fun at his previously lame accents in The Devils Own and Seven Years in Tibet). The story is well told and never hard to stay up with despite it's many twists and turns. The script is fine, but Ritchie seems intent on fitting as many F words as he can into the film. Ritchie shows some flair in the directors chair. Sometimes you think a little too much flair and you find yourself wanting him to just shoot a scene and not have it slowing down, stopping or spinning over the place. One thing that I don't think suited the tone of the film was the burning of Pitts characters mother in the caravan. It just didn't go with the light-hearted feel of the movie. A little harsh I thought. The soundtrack is outstanding, mixing up to date rock tracks with dance music and classic songs from the 80's. This is the kind of film (many plot strands and characters that interweave and eventually join up)that America has been making successfully for years (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Two Days in the Valley, etc....) and it's good to see a British film that can be on a par. The British talent on show is okay, Jason Statham as Turkish is a little wooden and Vinnie Jones plays exactly the same character he's played in all his movies. In reflection Snatch is good movie not great. It is hampered by it's over stylised look and it's similarity to other movies. Also I don't know if snatch means the same in the US, but they should have chosen a less suspect name.