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The film commences with a group of imposter Jewish rabbi's entering
a confidential office where they heist an 86 carat diamond. Leading
the robbery is the infamous Franky 'Four Fingers' (Benicio Del
Toro). Heading back to the van, Franky chains himself to a briefcase
where the diamond is to be hidden, prepared for delivery in New
York to a man by the name of 'Cousin Avi' (Dennis Farina). But
an insider hired by Borris 'The Blade' (Rade Serbedzija) sets
Franky up and sends him to London in search of a gun which will
be provided to him via Borris. Once in London, Borris exploits
Franky's weakness, gambling, and sets him up to place a bet at
a bookie, which he arranges to be robbed by duo Vinnie (Robbie
Gee) and SOL (Lennie James); two precarious diamond dealers.
Meanwhile, Turkish (Jason Statham), a successful underground
boxing promoter, and his bumbling partner Tommy (Stephen Graham)
promote fights between unlicensed fighters. Their latest prodigy
is Gorgeous George (Adam Fogerty), a mass of a man with a stature
that intimidates upon sight. Hoping to arrange a lucrative fight,
Turkish and Tommy head to the nefarious Brick Top (Alan Ford)
in hopes they can find a sponsor to put on the fight. But Brick
Top is not a man to be messed with, and those who either cross
him or fall short of their promises wind up as food for his pig
farm. But Turkish and Tommy have full faith in Gorgeous George
and his boxing ability. In need of a new office, however, Turkish
sends Tommy and Gorgeous George to the notorious Pikey camp, a
half breed of Irish and British blood, to purchase a new caravan.
There, Tommy and Gorgeous George encounter the infamous Mickey
O'Neil (Brad Pitt). Not quite comprehending his more than slurred
accent, Tommy and Gorgeous George strike up what they believe
to be a good deal with Mickey and prepare to head home with their
new caravan, that is, until the back axle falls off and their
'new office' just turned into a useless purchase. Upset, Tommy
returns to camp with George prepared to get their money back and
seek a new office elsewhere. But Mickey and the Pikey's won't
budge and suddenly it's down to a fight between Gorgeous George
and Mickey to decide on the fate of Turkish and Tommy's new office.
The last thing George is expecting is to go down by a man ¼ his
size. All the same, in one punch Mickey lands George in the hospital
just a few days before his upcoming fight arranged with Brick
Top.
Now sweating bullets, Turkish and Tommy turn in despair to Mickey,
apparently the bare-knuckle fighting champion, to fight in the
upcoming match. Upset, Brick Top only agrees to the switched fighter
providing that Mickey goes down in the fourth. But the rebellious
Pikey knocks out his competition in the very first round, again,
in the very first punch, leaving Brick Top to threaten the very
scared Turkish and Tommy.
Tying Tommy and Turkish into the diamond fiasco is Tommy's sudden
decision to purchase a gun for defense, which he purchases from
none other than Borris 'The Blade'. As far as the bookie heist
goes, the clumsy duo Sol and Vinnie completely screw things up
in typical Guy Ritchie fashion, and the unfortunate happenstance
results in their near capture. As their larger than life getaway
driver comes to their rescue, he is also the one who, ironically,
captures Franky and brings him back to the shop for Borris to
investigate. Once at the shop however, Borris brazenly shoots
Franky, not realizing he has the code to the briefcase containing
the coveted diamond. Of course the merciless Borris simply cuts
off his hand and leaves Vinnie and SOL to dispose of the body.
Worried about the delayed arrival of Franky and more importantly,
his diamond, Cousin Avi gets on the first flight to London and
finds the infamous Doug 'The Head' (Mike Reid), an underground
diamond aficionado, in hopes that Doug can provide him with a
clue as to the diamond's location. Meanwhile Borris has headed
to Doug's office in hopes of trading the diamond in for some cold
cash. Further complicating relations, Brick Top traces down Vinnie
and Sol, the men responsible for complicating matters at the bookies,
and thus screwing up the pay off at the fight. Threatening them
with their lives, the boys promise to pay Brick Top back with
a huge 86 carat diamond believed to be in the possession of Borris.
As Borris tries to keep the diamond safe, Cousin Avi and Doug
'The Head' hire 'Bullet Tooth' Tony (Vinnie Jones) to track down
Franky and the diamond. Of course, the multi-person interest in
the stone smacks of total chaos and a few good death scenes, but
the middle plot develops through the tension of the newly expected
fight between Mickey and yet another unlicensed fighter. But Mickey
and his mother don't want to partake in the fight, and Brick Top,
determined to have a lucrative fight, burns down Mickey's mother's
trailer, with her still in it, to provoke him into fighting. Enraged,
Mickey drowns himself in liquor the night of his mother's wake,
while Turkish and Tommy sweat bullets as Brick Top places yet
another stipulation on the fight surrounding the necessity of
Mickey's going down in the 4th round, yet again. But Mickey is
not one to listen, and unless he does, Turkish and Tommy are guaranteed
to be the next meal for Brick Top's piggies.
As the diamond switches multiple hands, and a multitude of bloody
deaths and ironic repetition of the uncanny ensues, all the characters
are brought together for a brilliant climax of action, suspense,
murder, boxing…mayhem. Mickey agrees to take a beating and makes
his acquiescence to Brick Top's contrived fight look believable
enough, that is, until he suddenly knocks the guy out cold. Believed
to be doomed, Turkish and Tommy hurriedly head out of the ring
with Mickey at their side, prepared to be slaughtered once they
exit the doors of the building by Brick Top's legion of men. But
once outside, an ironic twist of fate occurs and the vengeful
Pikeys prevail. Meanwhile the diamond has somehow found its way
back to Vinnie and SOL's shop, where Vinnie's ambivalent dog who
loves to snatch at things, greedily snatches the diamond and ingests
it along with the rest of the many precarious objects it has formerly
consumed. A disbelieving Cousin Avi instructs Bullet Tooth Tony
to 'open the dog' up, but his British propriety won't allow it,
and as Avi wrestles Tony for the gun and he dances around a protective
Vinnie, the bullet accidentally misfires and kills Tony, provoking
Avi to head for the first flight home to the US. The lucky dog
takes off and goes missing, the 86 carat diamond with him.
With Brick Top now dead at the hands of the Pikeys, Turkish and
Tommy venture to their campgrounds to thank Mickey. But upon arrival
Turkish and Tommy notice that the Pikey's have split, to avoid
legal matters. Just as they discover Mickey to be missing, Turkish
and Tommy are confronted by an investigator who inquires as to
their presence. At the precise moment of his inquisition however,
a dog happens to run across the grounds, and Tommy goes after
it, claiming that a brisk walk with the dog never hurt anybody.
As Turkish and Tommy head home with their new pet the last thing
they expect is to find an 86 carat diamond in its stomach. All
the same, an 86 carat diamond they find and they decide to consult,
who else, but diamond aficionado Doug 'The Head', who calls Cousin
Avi immediately, who takes the first plane back to London…
"Snatch" is a witty, refreshing, brilliant film that testifies
to the prolific talent of British director/writer Guy Ritchie.
This memorable film is an amped and over-the-top version of "Lock,
Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" and it sizzles in its originality,
albeit its similarity to "Lock, Stock". Unlike anything Hollywood
has yet to come out with, "Snatch" is yet another dazzling film
that captivates, entices, and more importantly, delivers. Yet
again, a witty script with incessant one-liners and snappy punch
lines sparkles in its originality and vividness. Never before
has the British humor seem to flippant, so powerful, so un-dry
and anti-mundane, as is sometimes portrayed in other films. Still,
the humor is true to its roots and the pat, sometimes flat delivery
of the witty one-liners is done so well as to keep it enticing
throughout the entirety of the film.
Brad Pitt shines in his role as Mickey O'Neil, the half Irish/half
British nefarious Pikey with a slurred accent as memorable as
his scruffy appearance and flashy outfits. Think his character
Tyler Durden in "Fight Club" with a Ritchie twist. Of course,
Jason Statham and much of the original cast of "Lock, Stock, and
Two Smoking Barrels" reunite to once again give solid performances.
Also impressive was the performance by Ritchie film rookie Stephen
Graham as the bumbling Tommy. Adding to the solid cast is the
brief yet solid performance by the talented Benicio Del Toro who
entertains in his portrayal of the four-fingered gambling con-artist/robber/victim,
etc.
By far, the most enticing components of the film, is the direction.
The brilliant cinematography shines in its uniqueness and its
powerful artistry. Guy Ritchie uses film as an art medium and
runs with the creative ability to render shots as artistically
as possible, from the spectacular scene where Brad Pitt is suspended
in the air, to the almost comic-book portrait-esque introduction
of the main characters, to the ironic repetitions of the dejavouz-like
scenes. Guy Ritchie is an artist, and his artistry shines in the
vividness of the film's direction and the originality of its script.
"Snatch" is a thoroughly enjoyable film, albeit a 'guy's film',
it offers the potential to enthrall and titillate even the most
prudish woman if only she would allow. "Snatch" is just another
of what one hopes to be many masterpieces that Guy Ritchie will
continue to produce throughout what one hopes will be an equally
successful career. Hats off to Ritchie and "Snatch".
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SNATCH
... THE ACTION REVIEW 
