Snatch

Released 23rd August 2000, Snatch follows a variety of individuals across the criminal underbelly of London. Much akin to a Tarintino film, Guy Ritchie’s script tells the story in an anthology form where there are numerous narratives for an assortment of characters; narratives which overlap and intertwine with one another. However, in navigating this world of crime, deals and gambling, the film manages to have a laid back sense of humour that is hysterical. A key aspect of the comedy comes in how the film is edited with many reoccurring shooting methods used. While written well, Mike Reid, Benicio del Toro and Adam Fogerty are the weakest parts of the cast as Doug the Head, Franky Four-Fingers and Gorgeous George, respectively. These actors certainly do a good job but are simply overshadowed by everyone else.

As the protagonist of the narrative, Jason Statham’s Turkish is essentially the narrator and marks the beginning and end of the narrative. Statham is very much the straight man of the film and has a perceptive understanding of the world he is absorbed in; however, his cautions of this world are breached by constant failures by his friend Tommy (acted by Stephen Graham). Tommy is very much the ‘thinks he’s hard’ character who keeps jumping from the frying pan to the fryer. Another posse of low-level criminals are Vinny, Sol and Tyrone (performed by Robbie Gee, Lennie James and Ade, respectively); a group that steal a diamond from Franky Four-Fingers and end up drawing heat from the authoritative figures in the world. These figures are Dennis Farina’s American Cousin Avi, Rade Šerbedžija’s Russian Boris ‘The Blade’ and Alan Ford’s London gangster ‘Brick-Top’. These actors dominate their space very successfully and they have you in hysterics at every second.

While I previously praised the editing for its comedic capabilities, that said, it can be a little messy during particular scenes and you are made disorientated which, while appropriate for the scenes in question, are still incomprehensible in what you are trying to see. The visual atmosphere of the film is very grimy and you are made to acknowledge that criminal London is not somewhere you would like to step into (as emphasised by Cousin Avi’s comments throughout the film). John Murphy also manages to deliver a unique soundtrack which is able to convey a rising action or general energy of it’s appropriate scenes. Overall, Snatch is a profoundly comedic film with a diverse yet memorable cast and a unique application of technical elements.