Snatch DVD Review

Franky Four Fingers might lose a finger, but never a stone...unless he's robbed by a group of misfit criminals.

Every year, great films fly in under the radar of the general public, and are never given the full amount of respect they truly deserve. "Snatch" is just such a film. So while Jack M. Homemaker may never recommend this film to his pals around the water cooler, that's what makes this film so fun. The fact that this is the type of film that will only be really appreciated by your average movie-addict, DVD-binger, or indie-freak only serves to intensify Snatch's general appeal.

I'm not saying that just because you like lots of movies you'll love this film, but I am saying that in the least, you'll think a lot of the techniques writer/director Guy Ritchie employs (be it cool-as-hell character introductions via brightly colored title cards set to a racing soundtrack, or the awesome final boxing match) are pretty cool. I'm also saying that you would love this film if you could just decipher what all the characters are actually talking about.

Allow me to explain: the film is set mostly in London, and pretty much all the characters are either: involved with the mob and speak in slangs and heavy accents; ne'er-do-well bumbling criminals speaking in heavy accents and slang; a dog; or one of several Pikey gypsies (I'm not quite sure what a Pikey is, I just know they're almost impossible to understand). Thus, you might find yourself rewinding or switching over to English subtitles mid-scene in an attempt to figure out the plot.

Very, very briefly, that plot goes a little something like this: A British mob is running a boxing ring and is trying to fix a match, and employs Turkish (Jason Statham) and his pal Tommy (Stephen Graham); meanwhile, some guys led by Frankie Four Fingers, played by Benicio del Toro, steal a diamond, and everybody else wants it, including the mob, three bumbling burgling British black men (heheh... alliteration), an evil Russian, and Vinnie Jones, British God of flat tops. The plot is quite hard to explain, due to the fact that it is constantly developing throughout the film at the pace of a forest fire, spreading from character to character. It's like if you were watching "The Sixth Sense," and right after Bruce Willis gets shot, a British man jumps in the window and shouts "'ey now! He jus' died an' it reminds me ov a li'l kid who can see dead peeples and can probably help 'im out and come to terms with 'is premature expiration at tha hands a' that ex-New Kids on the Block character over thare!"

The characters are all lots of fun, and it's hard not to laugh out loud at several points throughout the film. Benicio del Toro just excretes cool from every pore (as always); Vinnie Jones is typecast in a typical Vinnie Jones role, but that's not that much of a bad thing (the uninitiated will probably recognize him either from Gone in 60 Seconds as the guy who didn't talk, from Swordfish as the guy who would stick a gun in yo' bum, or from nothing); Rade Serbedzija is the embodiment of ass-kicking as Boris the Blade; a bunch of British guys are awesome, even though almost no one in the states would recognize them from anything except Ritchie's other film, "Lock, Stock, and 2 Smoking Barrels" (another must see). The whole film is pretty much stolen by Brad Pitt, however. He plays One Punch Mickey O'Neill, the Pikey boxing champion with a soft-spot for his mom. It almost seems unfortunate that a film filled with incredible amounts of British talent is pushed to the top by an American, but that sadly is the case.

So while "Snatch" would probably never win any Oscars, it doesn't need them. Rest assured that the average movie viewer will not get to experience the fun of "Snatch." Those who have heard of it will probably know it only as "the film Madonna's new husband made."

Trust me, once you get used to all the dialogue, it's quite a blast, and you'll be quoting characters for a long time afterwards.

While this film does not have speaker blowing sound effects and an ear bleedingly-loud musical score, it is pretty crisp audio wise. The sound effects sound great, as does the cool, perfectly-suitable-to-the-film soundtrack.

"There are two kinds of balls in this world. There are the big brave balls and then there are the little mincey faggot balls."

This film has a great, cool-looking, gritty feel and style with it, and the video is about as crisp and clean as it gets.

The "Snatch" DVD has very solid extras. There is little to complain about, especially when you compare it to the standard DVD that was given to "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

The Commentary
The commentary track with writer/director Guy Ritchie and Producer Matthew Vaughn is very informative, though very hard to understand sometimes due to the British accents and slang. It took me two viewings to fully understand many things that were said. It is still nicely done, information wise. You can only wish Ritchie had had more to say on his own film, instead of handing it over to Vaughn so often. Ritchie is the one we are really here to see (err....hear).

Subtitles
Normally, the subtitles are not something that need to be reviewed. In this case, however, there is a very creative twist to the subtitles in the form of a "Pikey" option in which Brad Pitt's character is translated. You can also tell the times when Brad Pitt was ad-libbing, as the bottom of the screen displays nothing but a question mark. Easily one of the funniest, coolest features on the DVD.

Stealing Stones
This is an option that allows the deleted scenes to be added into the flick (aka extended branching). Whenever a diamond icon appears on screen you hit the angle button and you can see the scenes where they were originally intended to be.

Making Snatch
A short documentary that is very informative, and surprisingly very stylish. The short covers many aspects of the movie and was quite enjoyable. It is always a lot of fun to see the cast and crew behind the scenes, especially on what had to have been a very cool production.

Storyboard comparisons
The storyboard comparisons are very interesting, like on any DVD, but aren't anything groundbreaking. Very cool, though, as always.

Deleted Scenes:
Very standard. Only a few scenes were taken out. No one scene stands out in front of the rest. Still, very nicely done, and a great inclusion.

Trailers/TV Spots
Has a few trailers and TV spots including those from the UK. It's quite interesting to compare the UK trailers to the US trailers. (Why is it that we always seem to be the only country that cares about nudity?)

Video Photo Gallery/Filmographies/...
All very standard, but they are still a welcome addition to any DVD.

Menus
Clearly some of the most stylish, creative menus I have ever seen. Ever.

Movie	8
Video	8
Audio	9
Extras	9
Final (not an average)	8