Directed by Guy Ritchie, Snatch is a low-budget movie that has attracted a fairly significant cult following since its release in January 2001. Featuring a large ensemble cast including Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro, Vinnie Jones, and Dennis Farina, the movie has a convoluted and twisted story that is pretty difficult to summarize so I won’t even try but let’s just say there is a massive 84-carat diamond in the mix which is supposed to be passed from a robber (Del Toro) to a middle-man (Mike Reid) to a New York gangster (Farina) but every Russian, American and British gangsters in London know about it and are vying for it. Add to that a parallel story of fixed boxing matches and a boxer (Pitt) with a wildly unpredictable behavior.

Snatch is absolutely piss-your-pants hilarious with sharp dialogue, stylish direction and dark comedy. Add to that brilliant editing and a solid musical soundtrack and the movie got most of it right already. Sure, it might be a little too over-the-top for some but Guy Ritchie doesn’t look back and keeps the momentum going into a brilliant climactic sequence while juggling the various plot-lines and the dozen characters with flair. The characters all have distinct and funny names like Brick Top, Gorgeous George, Bullet Tooth Tony or Franky Four Fingers. The acting is outstanding with Brad Pitt giving, perhaps, the best performance of his career as the unpredictable Mickey. He nailed the hilarious and unintelligible accent and it doesn’t sound forced at all while his boxing scenes are top-notch. Best of all, he was also able to play the serious parts just as convincingly. We also get solid performances from the rest of the cast, most notably Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones and Alan Ford. Finally, I’m not one to laugh at dog comedy but the dog was hilarious! “The dog is squeaking!”

On a negative note, the movie is definitely not for everyone given the wildly convoluted narrative which can be confusing to some. You also get your usual Guy Ritchie music video sequences throughout the movie but I didn’t felt they were heavy-handed. It could be said that the movie tries to be as flashy as possible to make up for what it lacks in substance and it is probably true but so what? That was the point of the movie. I also felt the movie could have used more vibrant colors instead of the darker colors it was shot in as Snatch is just really gray.

Snatch is a chaotic, wildly twisted, and outrageously hilarious movie. Love it or leave it!

B+

Notes: R-rated, 102 minutes