#70 Snatch

In Summary

Fresh off the back of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie built on his violent, farcical, British gangster style with Snatch.

Taking things up a notch with international stars, Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro, among the cast, Snatch is an intertwining, interlocking narrative following various characters who unknowingly find themselves inculcated into a mystery involving a stolen diamond.

Filmed in a fast-paced, stop-start editing style influenced by the likes of Sergio Leone and, most obviously, Quentin Tarantino, Snatch is a breakneck ride through a grimy and seedy London featuring a number of surprisingly eloquent characters.

Combining intense violence with humour and visual flair means that while Snatch can be rather shocking in moments, the violence feels less consequential. Most of the characters in the film are capable of withstanding taking some heavy blows, or, at least, are deserving of the sometimes brutal treatment they receive.

Furthermore, the comedic tone of the film allows it to skirt over some of the more problematic themes. Most notably, the depiction of Irish gypsies as dirty and devious is overcome by the joke being that it is they that ultimately end up conning the British gangsters.

The way in which the various plot-lines of the film begin far apart and end up, literally, leading into bumping into one another by the end of the film is the brilliance of Snatch.

A Memorable Quote

You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.

Things You May Not Know

• Brad Pitt was very keen to work with Guy Ritchie, having been a huge fan of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. An issue was that Pitt couldn't master a London accent, so Ritchie cast him in the role of the Irish gypsy boxer.
• Due to a lack of extras, every time the camera moves in the boxing fighting scenes, the entire crowd had to also.
• Sean Connery was initially offered the role of Brick Top, and was keen to take it after reading the script. However, when it came to contract negotiations, Connery reportedly said "This is a good film, and you're not going to be able to afford me." 

One of the Greatest of All Time?
For something that is clearly very strongly inspired by Tarantino, Snatch stands up remarkably well on its own two feet. Guy Ritchie manages to achieve just about enough of his own visual and narrative flourishes not to come across as a complete rip-off of the American's style, creating something of his own that is uniquely British - and has also led to a whole genre of rip-offs of his own style.

Whether Snatch is one of the greatest of all time is a different debate. I would argue not, but it is a film with plenty of merits worth watching if you get the opportunity.