00s Movie Review - Snatch

Director: Guy Ritchie
Genre: Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina, Vinnie jones, Benicio Del Toro, Jason Flemyng

Description: Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.

Review: The British director Guy Ritchie has an amazing international debut with “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”. His flashy and energetic way of filming and the fun characters in combination with rough action scenes made us think of Quentin Tarantino. Ritchie has a lot of fans. The movie “Snatch” is also a gem and he managed to get some bigger names like Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina for this project.

“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” with a modern and more expensive touch, that’s what you could call “Snatch”. Not only the multiple storylines that intertwine, but also some known faces. Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, Jason Flemyng and Alan Ford. It’s visible that everyone had fun making “Snatch” and I think I even prefer it over “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”.

It all starts in a diamond shop in Antwerp, where a big diamond is stolen by a gang lead by Franky Four Fingers (Benicio del Toro). The diamond is supposed to be delivered to Avi (Dennis Farina) in New York. But Franky makes a stop in London, where his poker addiction gets him into trouble. The criminal Boris ‘The Blade’, for whom the diamond was meant, goes after Franky. Boris hires some thieves; Vinny, Sol and Tyrone. During a boxing match Franky will be robbed by one of them and they will bring the diamond to Boris. At the same time Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tommy (Stephen Graham), two small time thieves, are involved with that same boxing match because one of their boxers was knocked out by gypsy Mickey (Brad Pitt). While buying a caravan they run into Mickey, because promotor Brick Top (Alan Ford) needs a replacement boxer. Because Brick has some bets going on, Mickey has to go down in the fourth round. Off course Mickey won’t and all hell breaks loose.

“Snatch” follows the same story structure as “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, has hard action and dark humor. Not for everyone, but I love it. The acting is good. Brad Pitt is hilarious as boxer Mickey, who you can hardly understand. And Vinnie Jones is perfect for the role of Bullet Tooth Tony. And Benicio de Toro, who only has a small role, shows us again why he is one of the best actor of his generation. Jason Statham and Stephen Graham form a fun, not so lucky, duo.

For the fans of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, this is a must see. It’s hilarious, tough and an absolute recommendation.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

What's in a Movie Year - 2000

Taking a look at the year 2000, picking my 10 favorite movies from that year in random order.
 

High Fidelity
This film adaptation of Nick Hornby’s bestseller of the same name is not set in London but in Chicago. There Rob runs a record store, which is only visit by the true purists. The wandering thirty-something has an almost sickly record collection and consistently categorizes according to a top five, whether it’s music or women. When girlfriend Laura trades him in for another, Rob finds out there’s more to it than collecting vinyl. It’s a fun comedy, with one of my favorite movie characters ever played by John Cusack and some great supporting roles by Jack Black and Tim Robbins.
 

Requiem for a Dream
Widowed and unorthodox mother Sara Goldfarb is firmly convinced that she wull be invited to one of her favorite TV shows. She swallows amphetamines to lose weight, so she can wear het red dress when the big day comes. Son Harry, like his friends, is also on drugs. It’s a smart big-cuty story by Darren Aronofsky and it uses hypnotic imagery and music. A fantastic movie, with some disturbing scenes that makes it hard to watch. But a definite must-see.
 

Unbreakable
David Dunne is a security guard who realizes after an accident that he is never sick and never got hurt. He’s unbreakable. He meets the owner of a comic book store, who is the complete opposite: he has an extremely fragile body. Visually “Unbreakable” is very intriguing and the story is really strong. One of M. Night Shyamalan’s best film to date.
 

Snatch
A crime comedy in which the story of Franky Four Fingers is interwoven with storylines around Bullet Teeth Toney and the boxing Irish gypsy Mickey. Franky steals the diamonds where the American Avi and the Russian criminal Boris the Blade are looking for. Director Guy Ritchie is a fun film, in the style of his earlier succession “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”. It’s dazzling, funny and edgy. I especially love Brad Pitt as the boxer, with a crazy Irish accent.
 

O Brother, Where art Thou?
A magnificently played and photographed adaptation of Homer’s epic Odyssey, starring George Clooney as Everett Ulysses. At the end of the thirties he escapes from a chain gang with loser Delmar and hot head Pete. According to a blind prophet they will find a fortune, but not the fortune they are looking for. Chained together they head for the adventure and meet a cyclops, sirens and a devilish lawman. The film also has a beautiful soundtrack. One of the most underappreciated films by the Coen Brothers I believe.
 

Gladiator
Roman general Maximus defeats a northern barbarian army, but is then betrayed by Emperor Commodus. He is sold as a slave and then has to work as a gladiator. Although historically not accurate, “Gladiator” is a beautiful film with a great performance by Russel Crowe.
 

Cast Away
FedEx manager Chuck Noland ends up on an uninhabited island after a plane crash and spends years in solitude. Due to loneliness Chuck starts talking to a Volleyball, which he calls Wilson. Probably two thirds of this film contains constant music, which is highly unusual for a big Hollywood movie. Since it’s mainly Tom Hanks on screen, and only he can make us cry over a volleyball.
 

American Psycho
Director Mary Harron decided to adapt the controversial book “American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis. The book has excessive violence and although the film is also very violent, it stayed relatively mild compared to the novel. The film is about the white-collar serial killer Patrick Bateman, as a symbol of the cynical, greedy eighties. But the horrific violence is not explicitly shown. Christian Bale is fantastic in his role, one of his best performances.
 

Billy Elliot
A young boy in a deprived British neighborhood can’t box, be he can dance. It’s a form of expression not accepted here for men. The boy is forbidden to dance, but he perseveres anyway. Billy eventually succeeds and has a better relationship with the people around him. “Billy Elliot” shows a well-known formula, but fortunately a sympathetic one.  
 

Final Destination
Alex feels disaster is in the air, on the eve of a flight and school trip to Paris. Everywhere he looks, Alex sees and feels signs of something bad happening on the flight. When panicking on the actual plane, he and some of his classmates are taken of the flight. And soon after the plane takes off, it explodes. It sets the tone of a film that shows a lot can go wrong in life. Since they have cheated death, death is coming for them one by one. It’s started a series, but this is still the best. And it has some gruesome and original deaths in it.