‘Snatch’: Voilence and bad accents
If some of the names of the main characters, like Franky Four Fingers, One Punch, Mickey O’Neil, Turkish and Mullet don’t give you some idea what the new dark comedy “Snatch” is about, then try to imagine “What’s Up Doc” mixed with “Dick Tracy” and “Pulp Fiction.”
When I say that “Snatch” is a dark comedy, I don’t mean the Joker from “Batman” kind of dark, but the sludge you find at the bottom of a glass of Nestle Chocolate NesQuik.
The story goes so far beyond brutal at times I found myself thinking, “Did I actually see what I just saw? And why am I laughing at it?”
The answer to the latter question is because it is so well acted and so wonderfully pulled off that it is hilarious.
The story has very few or no holes in it and the acting by every member of the mammoth cast is flawless. The performances of Brick Top (Alan Ford) and Mickey O’Neil (Brad Pitt) were perfectly tackled, but the highlight of the movie goes to Turkish (Jason Statham) who must walk the line of playing it cool when he’s neck-deep in the quicksand of the underground mob scene.
Thick accents of British characters and the thicker accents of Gypsies in the movie make much of the dialogue difficult to understand, but also make the massive amount of profanity bearable.
Another difficulty some may have while watching this movie is the sheer numbers of characters the plot revolves around – 13 – not to mention an entire Gypsy camp and a black-and-white dog. With help from the narrator, things are fairly easy to keep straight, but if you were to ask me what the difference between Bullet Tooth Tony and Gorgeous George was, I probably couldn’t tell you off hand.
Much of the photography in the film is outstanding, using slow-motion and brief accelerate clips to enhance the dark feel of the movie and to give time to enjoy particularly skilled and funny moments.
One memorable moment occurs during an illegal boxing match where O’Neil is knocked down again after falling to the mat several times and is visualized in the film as falling underneath water and looking up in silence at the world above him. It is artistically exquisite.
I wouldn’t recommend this to my wife, though I would to anyone who loves a dark comedy and can bear a little senseless violence for the sake of being true to the characters in the film.
If not, I suggest you go see “Save the Last Dance” and remember to guess the ending before the opening credits are through.
Comments about Two Guys and a Movie can be sent to twoguysandamovie@hotmail.com