A hilarious
film written and directed by
Guy Ritchie, the director of
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.
Snatch is a well-choreographed chaotic mess, consisting of numerous intertwined subplots that converge around
British gangsters of numerous stripes and abilities. There's lots of fuckup
hoods,
thugs, psychotic bigwigs, American boors,
pikies (British slang for gypsies who live in caravans in the countryside), and dogs. Jews,
boxing, swank clothing, vicious animals, guns, bodies, and
revenge populate the landscape. The plot revolves around a
diamond heist and the
gangsters who play hot potato with the stone.
Brad Pitt plays a nearly incomprehensible
pikey bareknuckle boxer.
Benicio del Toro demonstrates his perfect awareness of the camera in his short-lived role as a slick diamond
robber. Comparisons with
Pulp Fiction are easy to make -- even the opening shots of the two films are nearly the same. Musically and visually,
Snatch is a fast-paced blend, full of surprises. The sequence that describes
Cousin Avi's trip to London is worth the price of admission alone. Wacked-out bits like the dog's chew toy and Boris' earplugs help distance this film from the specter of
Tarantino's smug pretension.
This movie kicks ass.