In 1998, Guy Ritchie burst onto the movie scene with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, a stylish and witty revival of the British gangster genre that sparked a boom for the UK film industry. It also made the director himself a household name — and left movie fans keen to know whether this debut success was a fluke. He showed them it wasn’t with 2000’s Snatch, which built on its predecessor’s success to become the strongest movie in his filmography.
A sprawling tale of chancers, boxers, criminals, and squeaky dogs, it showed a whole new side of the world’s biggest star, Brad Pitt, and also gave us a star of the future in Jason Statham, in his first major lead role. Although Ritchie has branched out over the years, working in a variety of genres, Snatch shows him at his swaggering best.
‘Snatch’ is a Story of Diamonds and Boxers
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Set in London’s criminal underworld, Snatch follows two parallel storylines. One involves Turkish (Statham), a small-time boxing promoter who, through a deal gone wrong, loses his usual fighter, Gorgeous George, shortly before a fixed bout organized by sadistic crime boss Brick Top (Alan Ford). He must find a replacement quickly or risk the gangster’s wrath. The other storyline focuses on a priceless stolen diamond that suddenly becomes the focus of London’s criminal element – amateur crooks, hit men, and New York kingpins all come looking for the jewel, double-crossing each other to get the upper hand.
With a blend of established Hollywood talent including Dennis Farina and Benicio Del Toro sharing the screen with Ritchie collaborators Vinnie Jones, Lennie James, and British soap opera legend Mike Reid, it’s a melting pot of larger-than-life personalities that results in a chaotic but wildly entertaining misadventure.
Guy Ritchie’s Film Made Brad Pitt Irish, and Introduced Us to Jason Statham
Image via Columbia Pictures
While it seems like Jason Statham has always been kicking and punching his way through our screens, Snatch was only the second film in his blossoming acting career, and his first substantial role. He had been part of the ensemble in Lock, Stock, but as Turkish, he was one of the story's focal points, as well as the narrator, giving him the chance to show exactly what he could do. Making a great double act with Stephen Graham, he gets the chance to showcase his grit, charm, and screen presence opposite one of the biggest stars in Hollywood – Brad Pitt.
At the peak of his popularity, having made cult classics like Fight Clubas well as box office hits such as Se7en, Pitt was an unlikely choice for Mickey, the Irish traveler boxer who held the key to Turkish and Tommy’s survival. Speaking in a heavy rural Irish accent that is mostly inscrutable to those who deal with him, it couldn’t be further from the Los Angeles pin-up persona he had developed in America. Furthermore, it would display his ability to act with charisma alone, as without understandable dialogue he had to convey Mickey’s unpredictability in other ways. Snatch served as another example of Pitt’s versatility as a performer.
‘Snatch’ is Guy Ritchie at His Very Best
Snatch was unfairly dismissed as a repeat of Lock, Stock by critics at the time, but over the years, it has revealed itself to be the director growing into his craft. Yes, the subject matter and style of the movie are very similar to the film that came before, but everything feels elevated. The interweaving plots feel anarchic and jumbled, yet they fit together with such precision that it’s a delight to be taken along for the ride. The characters are much bigger, and the culture clashes are a delight. Farina’s no-nonsense New Yorker, Cousin Avi, clashing with his cockney counterpart Doug “The Head” (Reid), or brutal Russian Boris “The Blade” (Rade Šerbedžija) trading shots with no-nonsense bounty hunter Bullet Tooth Tony (Jones) blends different styles seamlessly.
Theatrical dialogue, such as Brick Top’s chilling definition of the word “nemesis”, action scenes such as Mickey’s climactic fight (choreographed to the Oasis track “F***in’ in the Bushes”), and a conclusion that strings everything together like an orchestra makes this the perfect example of Ritchie doing what he does best. There’s even room for a joke at his own expense – Bullet Tooth Tony is introduced to the sounds of “Lucky Star” by Madonna, Ritchie’s partner at the time. Other Ritchie films may have been more experimental or crowd-pleasing, but Snatch stands alone as a film where every element works exactly as it should.
As hard as it would have been to believe at the time, Guy Ritchie would go on to direct Will Smith as a rapping genie in Aladdin, as well as adapt Sherlock Holmes and '60s spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. into big-budget action spectacles. However, Snatch finds the filmmaker working on a large scale, but still maintaining that raw energy. 26 years on, it’s still a diamond of a movie.Snatch is streaming free on Pluto TV.
Image via Columbia Pictures
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Image via Columbia Pictures
English (US) ·